Off The Record (Spotlight Weekly)

Deuba’s Dilemma

Deuba : What will he do now?

Congress leader and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is in a dilemma following the announcement Nepali Congress leader and his guru Girija Prasad Koirala. Deuba’s situation is understandable – although he very much wants to join the mother Congress party as he cherishes the dream to lead the united Congress one day, he is apprehensive about the high-handed manner in which Koirala is treating his party. Despite the hurry to join mother party; Deuba cannot openly express his feelings. Deuba knows that he will not be inducted into the party’s top policymaking body without putting demand and applying pressures. Thus, his adamancy that Koirala should first give recognition to his party.

Dashed Hopes

Oli : Rising fear

The initiatives towards Congress reunion seems to have dashed hopes of CPN-UML leaders who thought they would be playing decisive role in the days ahead due to the division in Congress. Realizing its damaging effects to their party politics, senior CPN-UML leaders K.P. Sharma Oli, Amrit Kumar Bohara and other junior leaders are working hard to sabotage the unity efforts. Following Koirala’s announcement, Oli visited Deuba’s Budhanilkantha residence. Although what transpired at the meeting between the two leaders was not disclosed publicly, it seems that Oli pressured Deuba not to join the mainstream Congress party under Koirala. Usually, CPN-UML’s policy of divide and rule always works in Nepali Congress but nobody can predict what will happen this time around.

Food For Thought

Rana : Lunch diplomacy

Prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and RPP president Pashupati Sumsher Rana have buried their differences over lunch this week. The two leaders met for lunch at Rana’s residence in a surprising move. In fact, PM Thapa had invited himself to Rana’s residence. However, Thapa and Rana’s newfound relationship seems to have encouraged even Congress leaders to unite themselves. At a time when some leaders of RPP are still expressing contradictory statements, it seems that leaders are in no mood to continue their war of words.

Uncertain Poudel

Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel is known as a man of uncertainty. Despite his recent role as mediator to bring the two communist factions together, Deuba’s colleagues are yet to trust him fully. Had Congress leader Poudel exerted enough pressures on both factions, Congress would not have split and the country would not have to see itself without elected representatives. Thanks to Poudel’s commitment to break the relations with mother party, former prime minister Deuba had walked away. Interestingly, Poudel displayed a volte face and quickly switched his loyalty to Koirala Congress issuing a statement denouncing Deuba’s move. This time the former deputy prime minister Poudel is playing a role of mediator to bring two Congress factions together but since old wounds are still fresh, there is very little trust about his motive.

Sorry State of Sports

The environment of unity is seemed to be contagious. Just when there are moves towards unity in the RPP and the Nepali Congress, the differences among various sports authorities, too, seem to be dissipating. At the initiative of sports journalists warring factions of Nepal Olympic Committee – Rukma Shumsher Rana and Kishore Bahadur Singh – too, have indicated that they might call a truce. This is a good news for hundreds of athletes who had been preparing for the upcoming South Asian Federation Games with uncertainty looming large over their participation.