Divisive Trend

Despite deciding to drop its five-decade-old fundamental character from its constitution, Nepali Congress continues to be divided within

By KESHAB POUDEL

Congress Convention: Shift of stance

“If King Gyanendra agrees to reactivate the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal , there is a possibility of reconciliation again” said Girija Prasad Koirala, Nepali Congress president addressing the crowed after inaugurating the Eleventh Convention at Jawalakhel Sports Ground. “King Gyanendra has thrown the Constitution, a historic consensus document signed by the King and the people, to dustbin breaking the agreement with people. I still believe that the process of reconciliation can begin in case of activation of the constitution.”

With dozens of speakers including Indian politicians harping all kinds of extremist slogans provoking the crowd against the monarchy, Congress leader Koirala, despite using some harsh utterances against the King, appeared as a moderate. “If the King can change his stand, Nepali Congress also has the right to change its historical stand,” thundered Koirala. “I don’t know many jargons of democracy but what I am demanding is the supremacy of parliament.”

Despite Koirala’s remarks about national reconciliation and moderation, Nepali Congress has shifted closer to extremist parties – with whom it has an alliance. For more than five decades, Congress played a centrist role maintaining equidistance from the active monarchists and republican communists.

The proposal of amendment in the preamble of the party’s constitution shattered the hope of reconciliation and possible ways for political negotiations with the King. Unlike the Tenth convention in Pokhara, all the heads of Kathmandu-based diplomatic missions, except Indian ambassador, were absent from the convention – a meaningful indicator.

On w hatever conditions and pressures Nepali Congress amended its constitution, its ideological role as a centrist party as propounded by B.P. Koirala has changed now and his own brother Girija Prasad Koirala - who is going to win third term as party president will have to search the space for Nepali Congress competing with other extremists.

Overwhelming Nepali supported Nepali Congress because of its moderate and centrist role. As B.P. Koirala said Nepali Congress will loose its identity if it allied with left or right extremists. The tragedy is now that his own elder son Prakash Koirala is in King Gyanendra’s cabinet while his brother has sided with leftist extremists. Nepali Congress is struggling for its survival.

Current controversies regarding the monarchy in Nepali Congress seem to have failed to make distinction between an individual monarch and a long-standing institution of monarchy in Nepal . The monarch also seems to be equating himself with the institution of monarchy and the political parties also seem to be mistaking individual monarch for the institution of monarchy and, thus, prepared to discard it. It is something like extremist monarchists’ suggestion to discard pluralistic democratic system for the incompetence and fault of leaders of country’s major political parties. Extremists in Democratic Party are repeating similar mistakes by questioning the existence of institution of monarchy based on their likes and dislikes with individual King.

Despite octogenarian Congress leader Koirala’s soft words, Nepali Congress – which had never changed its stand on constitutional monarchy in the last five decades - has moved closer towards the cause championed by extremist leftist parties. Although Nepali Congress leaders in the past faced many difficulties including the oppression, they had always kept their centrist role intact.

Nepali Congress – which is leading the seven parties alliance – will now need to search for its place in the politics as it has to face many extremist competitors in the race. Following the endorsement of the amendment proposal, Nepali Congress has already witnessed three major streams with senior leader Shailaja Acharya and Narahari Acharya expressing written dissension with the decision. Shailaja Acharya favors the party’s time-tested centrist ideology of constitutional monarchy whereas Narahari Acharya, who is also contesting against Koirala for the position of party president, favors democratic republicanism.

Founded in 1946, the first conference of Nepali National Congress held in January 25-26, 1947 declared the aim of the party as to establish democracy and constitutional monarchy in Nepal . The party elected Tanka Prasad Acharya as its president and BP Koirala as its acting president. In presence of Girija Prasad Koirala - who had participated in the first labor strike after the formation of the party and founding member Krishna Prasad Bhattarai - Nepali Congress has now changed its historical stand. The present preamble of party’s constitution was prepared after the merger of Nepali National Congress led by B.P. Koirala and Nepal Democratic Congress led by Subarna Sumsher in March, 1950.

Despite a number of splits, B.P. Koirala stuck to his stand protecting his party as a centrist preaching the ideals of national reconciliation between traditional forces of monarchy and modernized democratic forces.

Although Girija Prasad Koirala has accepted the proposal of extremist elements of the party, the division in the party is yet to be buried. Following the amendment, the party is now divided into three groups - Shailaja Acharya opposing the amendment, Narahari Acharya disagreeing with the words and contents of the amendment and Koirala himself. For Nepali Congress, amending the preamble of party’s constitution will create more trouble in future as radicals would continue to press Koirala.