Indepth Analysis

Dashain bodes lull in Nepali politics!

Kathmandu: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba supporters are hopeful that the cabinet meeting Monday will have set dates for the third round of talks likely this week. This comes after charges that both Maoists and the government have been purposely lengthening the talks. Foremost among the opponents of this evident government strategy is former Prime Minister Girija who is on his nationwide campaign to rally organization. Prime Minister Deuba has to keep this source humored and so attempts will perhaps be made to show some gains from the negotiations.

Deuba's cabinet, however, is unlikely to favor Girija on expansion. There is talk now of Ram Chandra Poudel being included as Deputy Prime Minister once more. How Deuba will handle the highly fluid strongman Khum Bahadur Khadka will perhaps determine the longevity of the proposed changes.

Whatever, the festival season is on. This will prove convenient for the government to lengthen the current status quo. The parliament session will end this week and so this source of "problem" will rest for a while. It is unlikely that a very real fourth round will be held within this period. The Maoists themselves are said to have promised a respite. They continue to gain from their eased mobility in organization with their top leaders released and surfacing even in Kathmandu.

Dashain is even in abnormal circumstances such as these, a non-political season in Nepal and the mood in the Deuba camp is for obvious reasons one of relief. Its assertion in business is demonstrated through new appointments. Opposition, parliamentary opposition now will cease until th winter session.

It is this mood of goodwill to that is apparently to be reflected in the Left. Gradually, it seems, UML gestures of unity are paying at the cost of ML General Secretary Bam Dev Gautam. Between the two poles, UML and ML, the concluding sessions of the Left unity talks have tended to lean towards the UML organization threatening even the ML core. What is to be watched is the alienation of the United People's Front, UPF and its proximity with the Maoists. In some sense indicators suggest ML cadre are caught in between the two poles. As yet, it is significant that none in the Left have announced any major public programs for the season. This suggests a welcome festival reprieve for the nation from politics. For a public faced with the costliest and most uncertain Dashain ever, this respite is indeed welcome.

King Gyanendra airs His internal desires!

Kathmandu: The new constitutional monarch presumably works very hard.

Since King Gyanendra ascended the throne immediately after the cold-blooded shooting to death of Nepal's benevolent monarch, King Birendra on June 1, 2001, the incumbent constitutional monarch is meeting members of the civil society perhaps in order to get fresh views regarding the state of the nation.

In doing so King Gyanendra perhaps also possesses a craving to hint the political paraphernalia governing the nation since well over twelve years or so that He would continue do so and thereby put pressures on the government and the personalities in the opposition so that they act in favor of the common men and in the interests of the nation as well.

Undoubtedly, such meetings being held in series by King Gyanendra should have already alerted the government and the men in the opposition which ultimately will go in favor of the overall political health of the politically-plagued nation.

The government and the leaders belonging to the opposition parties have reasons to panic from such meetings being held with leaders, scholars, media men and other sectors of the society as it is King Gyanendra who on every such occasions has been ventilating his reservations on certain matters pertaining to the observance of the constitution by the men manning the present system.

Apart from this, the new monarch conspicuously also wishes to get a platform which allows Him to meet his people and talk to them in a free and frank manner so that He gets a first hand view from the people about their present day problems.

The panic prevailing in the political circle is obvious. For they know that if the King begins meeting the common men, they will stand unclothed. It is this fear of being exposed perhaps will "never" allow the constitutional monarch to proceed for a tour to different parts of the nation. But the monarch presumably remains undeterred. How the ruling government and the men in the opposition will take King Gyanendra's subtle ambition will have to be watched.

King Gyanendra met a Nepali journalist last week. The media man, we are told, finds himself quite comfortable with the Bhattarai camp of the congress. According to the media man, King Gyanendra very much wishes to meet the people for which He needed a genuine platform that allows Him unhindered proximity with His people in the Kingdom.

The other thing which the monarch ventilated to the journalist is that He too wished a sort of Economic revolution in the country much the same way as had been advanced by the congress leader late Ganesh Man Singh. Going a bit more further, King Gyanendra equated late Singh's economic revolution with that initiated by his late brother King Birendra some two decades back. To recall King Birendra had advanced a theory called "unleashing the source of development". The King in the same vein, regretted that the ideas propounded by two personalities could not be understood by the men manning the systems then and now.

Summing up, King Gyanendra's meeting in series with various personalities of the nation what becomes amply clear is that: firstly, he wishes to see Nepal as a very strong nation both economically and politically ; secondly, the King wishes to be in the midst of his people so that he remains abreast with the grievances of the common men; thirdly, the King appears determined in getting a formal platform that allows him to meet the people in distress in the remote areas; fourthly, the King knows the Nepali leaders manning the system from very close quarters and that he is not that happy with the functioning of the system; fifthly, the King apparently wishes that Nepal's political leaders' too strictly adhere to the letter and spirit of the 1990 constitution which clearly suggests that in King's view, the leaders here more often than not cross the limits set by the constitution. Finally it also perhaps means that should opportune moment come, He too could exceed the limits of the constitution much the same manner as the leaders' have done in the past.

This could be a forewarning to the present day Nepali leaders. who have apparently gone crazy. All in all, the King is loaded with vitality and consciousness. The new monarch not only meets the people but also prefers his views getting aired through the use of the media so that people and the authorities in government and in the opposition could understand his inner feelings regarding the state of the nation, his duties towards the nation and his kind feelings towards the down-trodden mass of this country.

Time permitting and enjoying the total confidence of the people, the new monarch could presumably offer a "big surprise" to the nation.

However, in what form the big surprise dawns (?) in the nation will have to be watched. Nevertheless, as per the media man who was granted audience by His Majesty the King pleasingly divulges that the King is affable and listens to the expressions of those who see Him at his chamber. He also maintained that the King candidly exhibited his total commitment towards the existing democratic system which means that for the time being the possibility of a "big surprise" is remote.

Will the Maoists join mainstream politics without bagging political gains?

Kathmandu: The government and the Maoists insurgents are playing hide and seek.

The government says it is ready for the talks. The Maoists say that they proposed a date that was not accepted by the other camp. The Deuba establishment said that since the Maoists were not prepared for the talks on the date set by the government and hence the third round of talks could not materialize. The other camp refutes this theory.

In between these two sets of theories aired for public consumption by both the negotiating parties, the common men get more and more confused.

However, the reason for the delay is some what different than what has been given to understand by both the sides.

The fact is that both sides were buying time to present themselves in a more candid manner this round of talks.

The government is delaying the talks because it feels that the recent developments in the region and at the international level on account of the September 11 attacks on the United States of America has enhanced their "bargaining capabilities" and hence expects that the Maoists insurgents themselves pray for the talks. In the process, the government side wishes that the insurgents this round of talks renounce their earlier claims for the formation of a constituent assembly and summarily agree to enter into the mainstream Nepali politics. The Deuba set up also prefers the insurgents to come to the talks well after saying good-bye to lethal weapons.

However, the Maoists insist that the government must honor its earlier commitments and thus release their comrade-in-arms and effect an annulment to the already enacted Public Security Regulations.

To recall, according to the insurgents, the government had assured them that prior to the third round of talks their demands would be met. The Maoists say the government has not honored its own commitments.

The ground reality is that neither the government nor the Maoists have remained true to their commitments.

The government is yet to release all of the prisoners belonging to the insurgents' camp, save Matrika Yadav, and repeal the PSR act. Likewise the Maoists were yet to renounce creating violence and acts of terror in the districts.

Sources close to the UML say that the Maoists insurgents have of late been terrorizing their cadres in the districts. The UML has recently warned the Maoists not to harass their cadres or else will have to face grave consequences.

Not very surprisingly then, Comrade Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai admitted recently that there had been some case wherein their own cadres dishonored the appeal made by their top ranking comrades.

Meanwhile, the Maoists sources claim that congress president Girija Prasad Koirala is apparently in a mood to destroy the entire peace process going on in between the government and the insurgents. "The manner Koirala is pumping up his men against us in the recent days do indicate that he is hell bent on disturbing the peace process", says a fresh statement released from the Maoists quarters.

The statement also says that while Koirala wishes to crush our movement through the kind support of India, then Prime Minister Deuba wishes the same with the support of the United States.

"If the government prefers talk, we will come to the table. If the government is preparing to wage a war against us, we will face that in a befitting manner", the statement adds.

In a sudden development, Prime Minister Deuba clearly indicated to the Maoists the other day in Nepalganj that he will never comply with the Maoists at the talks on matters related to the formation of a constituent assembly. This means that Deuba is ready to bring in the Maoists in the main political stream by forming an interim government. However, the fact is that the present constitution does not allow the formation of a government as suggested by Deuba or for that matter as demanded by the Maoists.

Nevertheless, most of the political parties have already voiced their consent that if the Maoists wish to enter into present day mainstream politics the government could do so through the formation of a government that includes all including the men from the Maoists camp.

However, how this mechanism will be worked out and how the parties not represented in the parliament will react to that is very difficult to predict at this premature stage.

Much also depends on how the Maoists themselves react to this scheme which is still in its embryonic stage indeed. Will the insurgents summarily abandon their Republicanism slogan? Will the insurgents join the main stream so easily and if they do so on what conditional political gains? How its lower ranking cadres will react if the top hats decide to join the mainstream politics"? Will the country remain peaceful after a sort of peace agreement is signed in between the two negotiating parties? These are the questions that will continue to boggle the minds of the lay men for quite some time to come.

Be that as it may, the third round of talks between the government and the Maoists is scheduled before the end of this week.

Conspiracy galore in congress camp!

Kathmandu: Conspiracy to destabilize Sher Bahadur Deuba's establishment is on.

Clearly, President Girija Prasad Koirala has returned from his "foren" pilgrimage fully equipped with the needed energy and stamina both, which got reflected in his Nepalganj speech wherein he lambasted at the manner the Deuba government was dealing with the Maoists at the talks.

Koirala point blank told the gathering that while talking to the Maoists in the previous rounds, the government led by Deuba presented itself in a very weakened manner.

Retorting to this blunt Koirala allegation, the nation's prime minister who too shared the same platform in Nepalganj the other day rejected Koirala's by saying that his knees were pretty strong enough.

Those who attended the Nepalganj meeting sponsored by the congress say that "all the Koirala's men" at the meeting concentrated their entire energy in deriding at the government's handling the law and order situation and talks with the Maoists.

A practically nervous Prime Minister, however, did dare to tell the people to judge for themselves the law and order situation now and prior to his assuming the premiership.

Undoubtedly, his hint was towards Koirala's regime, which had definitely miserably failed in arresting the ever-deteriorating situation then.

Neutral observers in the congress camp conclude that the meeting in Nepalganj summarily ended up with a sort of dangerous "verbal war" in between the incumbent and the former prime minister thus exposing the internal rivalry that continues to exist in the congress paraphernalia.

While this amply explains the current scheme of things inside the congress, concurrently it also hints that President Koirala will apparently spare no efforts in creating troubles for his immediate political rival-Deuba.

While Deuba, bluntly speaking, after assuming the Prime Ministership of the nation has accomplished nothing which could console the people, however, the fact is that if one were to compare the Koirala rule with the present one at least the people could tell without any hesitation that peace to a greater extent has dawned in this totally battered nation. This is no less an achievement. However, Deuba must not feel honored with such comments because these were relative matters. In effect, performance wise, Deuba too could be easily given negative points.

Koirala's would be strategy in his bid to replace Deuba could well begin the day the latter fails to include minister Khadka's and minister Gachhedar's men in the impending expansion of the cabinet.

Predictably, Deuba can't include all the men of these two "necessary evils" and hence chances remain brighter for Koirala to seduce the two. Taking into account of the past "fluid" characters of the "big" two, what could be declared here without hesitation that these two would easily shift their political allegiances to strengthen the hands of Deuba's rival that is president Koirala.

If this happens and takes a concrete shape then what also could be said is that Deuba's days in government were coming to an end.

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Deuba too has his cards under his sleeve.

The number one Koirala detractor-Ram Chandra Poudel is with Deuba now. Mr. Poudel though does not enjoy strength in the congress camp, yet he is a very strong critic of president Koirala who will in all probability shield Deuba from his detractor's wrath.

The sum total is that the internal fight in the congress will continue as usual. The expansion in the cabinet will occur but there will be no time for Deuba detractors to act against him because by then it would be already festival holidays.

This will give respite for Deuba indeed. However, the fight will surely begin immediately after the conclusion of the festival days, which will surely entertain the nation as usual.

Gorkha brewery honors students

Kathmandu: The Gorkha Brewery Limited Monday evening honored those SLC students who had through the dint of their hard labor bagged the distinction of being included in the first top ten list of the last year's School Leaving Certificate examination results.

Admirably to recall, this brewery has made it a practice to honor such toppers in order to encourage the students on a regular basis.

Quite naturally, the students in their teens when become the recipients of such prestigious societal honors and awards feel pretty encouraged which ultimately carves their future career.

Some ten SLC toppers were duly recognized by the brewery Monday evening. Chief guest Madhav Nepal handed over the prizes and certificates of honor to the brilliant students.

Chairman of the brewery, Mohan Gopal Khetan, assured the attending participants at the ceremony that his organization will continue such activities in the future as well.

National | 5 Question  | Editorial | 2nd Impression | International | Past