Indepth Analysis

Panic grips Kathmandu watchers

Kathmandu: The war of words is on. UML Secretary General Madhav Nepal bluntly alleges that the government and the Maoists combined provoke action from the monarchy against democracy. Government careful to keep the crown from the controversy accuses the opposition of attempting to sabotage the Deuba reforms and warns the Maoists of its continuing actions in disregard to government-Maoists agreements. The RPP and the Sadbhavana remain 'act the well' in parliament demanding a ceiling on capital and the Prime Minister has no other recourse but take the floor in defense of his policies disregarding the clamor. The Maoists on the other hand are pouring in workers in Kathmandu valley preparing for a major show of strength in the capital itself scheduled September 21.

It is this Maoists move that is cause for worry. Hotels and lodges and even schools and colleges have, at times under threat of people's action, been approached to accommodate the influx of Maoists cadre. Reports are that resort has been made nationwide to tell families to either send a member or contribute financially for Maoists gatherings or face, again, people's action. Reports also are that the mass transit system has been shuttling the influx and, in Kathmandu, private sources including schools have been approached for transportation under similar threats. Sporadic meetings in Kathmandu are said to have been using these strategies already.

And so the political establishment must now decry this new threat as yet another conspiracy against democracy. Willy-nilly the Crown appears to have been caught in between amidst revivalists' allegations. At the public level this attempt at linkage is viewed at inept response on part of the parliamentary organizations that have been finding their inability to field cadre in response to the Maoists threat inhibited by the Maoists strategy.

At yet another level again the fear is real. What happens if a band of motivated insurgents seek the advantage of Katmandu's urban jungle to resort to arms amidst prior assurances of peaceful demonstrations? Given that the government itself admits that Maoists activities have not ceased in disregard of the talks, what happens if….?

Deuba not to compromise constitutional monarchy; Maoists not to settle for less

Kathmandu: Nepali politics remains fluid. In fact this fluidity has increased well after the conclusion of the first round of official talks held in between the Maoists and the Deuba led government last week for some obvious reasons.

Informed sources say that both the government and the insurgents have contributed to this fluidity, deliberate or otherwise, through their utterances made specially after the conclusion of the first ever held talks at the official level.

If one goes through the fiery statements made by some of the Maoists' stalwarts and carefully read in between the lines what comes to the fore is that the insurgents will not settle for less other than their already declared goals and that being the formation of a "People's Republic" in this Himalayan Kingdom.

If Krisha Bahadur Mahara's Nepalganj speech were any indication then it could fairly be concluded that the façade of talks will undoubtedly continue but the insurgents will proceed their ways as charted by the party led by Comrade Prachanda.

Add to this the Maoists unacceptable overtures which has gone hundred percent against the agreement reached with the government some time earlier that henceforth they would not press any common citizen or for that matter any business houses for extortion and that their cadres will bring to a total halt to their "militant actions". However, the fact is that the scheme of extortion and taking penal actions continue unabated. To recall, Comrade Prachanda and his close aides at times have assured the lay men that such practices would discontinue.

Should this mean that the rank and file in the insurgency led by Prachanda appear reluctant in obeying the "instructions" of their own boss? Or is it that the insurgents at the grassroots simply reject the "peace talks" Prachanda has now initiated with the Deuba establishment aimed at giving a full stop to their insurgency? Is it also that there has already been the formation of yet another militant group which possesses different sort of "line of thinking" other than what is at the moment subscribed by Prachanda and Dr. Bhattarai?

These and some more related questions come to the minds of the intellectual when they observe some activities that have gone just the opposite of the agreement arrived at in between government and the insurgents.

Let us all hope that Comrade Prachanda is yet unconditionally respected and that some hooligans in the name of the insurgents could have acted in a different manner.

However, Comrade Prachanda should know or has to got to know these aberrations which apparently has plagued his party of late more specifically after the last week's talks in Godavari. It would be equally in the fitness of things that Comrade Prachanda assured the lay men that the September 21 congregation in Kathmandu will be a mere show of strength and not more than that.

By way of reference, the Kathmandu public remains terrified about the possible skirmishes in between the Army and the insurgents should the September 21 congregation of the Maoists cadres decide to go their ways and the security system goes on the rampage.

Similarly, the government under Deuba too must exhibit restraints in its dealing with the insurgents. The reported "alert" in the Royal Nepal Army quarters too have added to the panic among the Kathmandu citizenry. The Maoists have on Monday through a statement said that their September 21 event in Kathmandu would be a "peaceful" one and nothing to panic or whatsoever.

All put together, a sort of distrust apparently prevails on both the sides of each other's internal intentions should the talks fail. However, what else could be advised to the negotiating parties other than to remain true to their changed positive overtures and contribute for the restoration of peace in the nation.

Undoubtedly, the failure of the talks would mean "disastrous" for both. Perhaps this explains every thing.

UML leader invites wrath from India, Palace and NC at a go

Kathmandu: The main opposition party, the UML, has become suddenly excessively sensitive.

UML stalwarts say they have ample reasons to become sensitive for in their perception a sort of "grand design" was on in the country.

According to them, the men or say groups in the said design aim at destabilize the nation and facilitate some "powerful" quarters to exploit the situation in the latter's favor.

In essence, the UML sees the entire "democratic order" under threat.

Clarifying the impending threat to the new order, the UML General Secretary Madhav Nepal last week told an "intellectual" gathering at its office premises that his party has sensed foul manuevers from various quarters in order to scrap the system.

An almost panicked Madhav Nepal did bluntly hint that in the said design included among others were forces like India, Royal Palace and the Nepali Congress itself.

Revealingly, the UML stalwart maintained that the Maoists had become pawn in the hands of those mentioned forces.

The point is that how Madhav Nepal could conclude that India, Palace and the NC were behind in the said "grand design"'? Mr. Nepal did not however mention regarding the benefits India or for that matter the Royal Palace or even the NC's ruling government will reap should the country become unstable politically. He also did not clarify as to how the Maoists could have acted as per the instructions of the Indian establishment, the Royal Palace and the NC led government.

Notably, Madhav Nepal's scathing criticism that has the potential of inviting wrath from India has come at a time when the Maoists leaders only recently dubbed Mr. Nepal as the second Dr. Rayamajhi of the communist movement in Nepal.

Is it that Mr. Nepal has become pretty nervous with that comment and started talking in a manner just to bag accolades from his own cadres and also to hit the media coverage?

Around 1996, Madhav Nepal was the one, to recall, who remained instrumental in getting the Mahakali treaty ratified by the Parliament. Should this mean that these days Mr. Nepal is keeping a comfortable distance with India?

Perhaps yes! Because in the same intellectual gathering Mr. Nepal indirectly hinted that he was not that happy with the sort of visits in series made by Indian dignitaries which according to him contributed to such suspicions.

To recall, Madhav Nepal was the one who only very pleasingly met with Jaswant Singh. How come then all of a sudden India became friendly to Maoists, the Royal Palace and the NC as well.

The fact is that there is some movement in Nepalese politics. Undoubtedly the politics has become brittle and fluid.

The Himalayan question could well be posed to Madhav Nepal and the likes that have not they individually or even organizationally contributed to this current fluidity? The answer must be yes. Madhav Nepal and the likes must share their responsibilities in having contributed to this today's shaky politics which was there for all to see. They too must accept the fact that it was their political faults being in government, which forces the Maoists to enter the jungles. Will they take the pains of recalling their own non-communists actions? This applies to all the parties in parliament.

Secondly, it is the sheer weaknesses of political parties of Nepal including the UML that they go on for a "pilgrimage" to India as and when some thing of grave nature (in politics indeed) grips this nation.

If we take or long for alien advice, we must pay for that.

However, the UML has seduced some eight communist forces who all have agreed to remain alert to safeguard the gain of the 1990 movement.

Those who attended the joint front meeting include ML, United People's Front, United Marxists, Marxists, National People's Front, M-L-M and NMKP.

Predictably, the UML must have become the target of those forces to whom it has declared almost "unfriendly forces".

How those forces will react to UML allegations will have to be carefully watched.

Communists forge united front but why?

Kathmandu: Whether by design or otherwise, the meager and strengthless communists factions have come all under one umbrella in order what they prefer to claim "save" the democratic system now experiencing a major threat to existence from known and unknown quarters.

Whether their newfound claim is correct or not is indeed not the point of discussion here.

However, what is important is the timing of their decision to unite.

In so doing, naturally the UML has bagged accolades from the rest of the factions and has also concurrently elevated its bargaining capacity politically speaking.

The present formation of a joint front by the eight communists factions including the UML is surely a plus point for the UML for this unity, at least for the time being, will be best utilized in pressurizing the Deuba's lame-duck set up in so far as effecting a minor reforms in the land reform measures which has already come into effect since last week.

UML says the new land ceiling (10+1 bighas in Terai) will fetch nothing and hence the government must act as per the report submitted by their man Badal Keshav who sets the land ceiling to only 4 bighas in Terai.

This makeshift unity among the communists will to a greater extent presumably be utilized in sending signals to the ever growing strength of the Maoists insurgents hinting them that their strength too were not that weak as might have been in the minds of the Maoists. This clearly means that the UML has exploited other groupings' strength to its political benefit.

Last but not the least, the UML will benefit from this unity in the sense that its grassroots cadres had been abandoning the party for good and, to add insult to injury, joining the insurgency for obvious reasons.

Finally, if the whole unity affair indicated a sort of "polarization" of the communists forces of the nation, then this should automatically alert the so-called democratic forces to converge at one point at least to maintain a political balance.

In fact, the causes behind these unity moves in the communist camp could have some more meaning than meets the eye.

This again proves that the national politics is on the verge of a change. But how the change will occur and who will be the champion of the "expected" change is so far unclear.

Maoists say government yet to respond to their demands

Kathmandu: The government remains assured of the talks with the Maoists. In the process the first round of official talks have already been held.

However, the Maoists quarters opine that certain elements were hell bent on disrupting the peace process and that the government too had yet to exhibit its commitment made prior to the talks by releasing some of their prominent activists.

The insurgents allege that the government was yet to scrap the "draconian" Public Security regulations and declare the whereabouts of its scores of cadres.

They also point out to the recent overtures of the Royal Palace wherein King Gyanendra has been ventilating his concerns in a strange manner through the media.

All put together, the Maoists leaders suspect the very motive and the intentions of the government.

However, the insurgents too have yet to suspend their militant activities, says the government.

To recall, the Maoists insurgents by now have already declared 22 district "People's Government" and claim that such more were in the pipeline.

In effect, these activities confuse more the lay men than the two rivals for the people hope that at least when the talks were on such declarations should have not been done.

Informed sources say that the Maoists leaders consider such declarations would send signals to the other camp in a stronger manner which will be later utilized at time of the talks.

It is not surprising therefore that the Maoists leaders described their talks with the government as to have been the "talks in between the two governments".

Frightening statement as it is, however, the government under Deuba is more than hopeful of positive outcome of the talks at the end of the game.

However, one is surprised to learn that the government has deputed minister C.Wagley for the talks whose son had been manhandled by the insurgents some two months back in Thamel.

Junior Wagley, according to insurgents, is not a benevolent personage.

Be that as it may, the final press statement released after the first round of talks, both the sides agree to meet yet again to continue the "peace talks". However, the government has outrightly rejected Comrade Prachanda's offer of the next talk in their stronghold, Rolpa, virtually the capital of the insurgency.

Whether Deuba's rejection is a part of government strategy or some thing else is yet uncertain.

However, what is clear by now is that Deuba is being pressurized by his hardcore colleagues in the party not to tremble while meeting the insurgents' extra-constitutional demands.

Sources in the NC say that the very inclusion of minister Acharya and Chakra Bastola at the talks with the Maoists is nothing but a Koirala trick to keep an eye on Deuba's political overtures at the talks.

Acharya and Bastola belong to the inner coterie of President Koirala.

Senior Journalist Madan Regmi Bereaved

Kathmandu: Dr. Dilli Raman Regmi is no more.

Dr. Regmi left for his heavenly abode last Thursday at 10 AM.

Dr Regmi was suffering from a host of diseases of the Kidney, heart, jaundice and pneumonia as well. He was 88.

Dr. Regmi in himself was a legendary political figure and will be remembered by the Nepalese for his contributions for the installation of democratic order in the nation for all time to come. He was also a noted historian and had several books to his credit.

Dr. Regmi looked after various ministerial portfolios at different intervals of time in the past. He remained a staunch follower of Gandhism till the last breath.

We extend our heartfelt condolence to senior journalist Madan Regmi, son of the late Regmi and pray the Almighty to offer eternal peace to the departed soul and give courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.

Last salute to Ye thee Dr. Regmi!

Mrs. Malla awarded doctoral degree

Kathmandu: Mrs. Sushila Malla has been awarded doctoral degree by the Tribhuvan University Humanities and Social Education faculty for her thesis on "Complementary feeding practice and its impact on nutritional status of under 2 year old children in urban areas of the Kathmandu valley".

Mrs. Malla (44) is a resident of Koteshwar, Kathmandu municipality has bagged the distinction of becoming the first female personality to have been awarded this degree in Nepal.

Mrs. Malla at the moment is teaching at the Institute of Medicine in Kathmandu.

She is also associated with various social organizations in the country.

Congrats Ms. Malla!

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