I n d e p t h    A n a l y s i s
Congress-Maoists allies?

Kathmandu: After a month long attempt on part of Prime Minister Chand to woo the major parliamentary parties in his cabinet, its expansion ignoring them has triggered a spate of street activities that press Lokendra Chand and, indirectly, the Royal Palace. Chand's slow pace in performance is focus of severe criticism by most well-wishers of the Royal move. As yet nothing concrete has emerged to effect the public at large outside of speeches of the ministers which are themselves, it seems, contradictory.

The most expensive indication of confusion at the top lies in the issue of the petroleum price hike. The Deputy Prime Minister, Badri Prasad Mandal decides he will hike the price. Finance minister Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha assures that no such thing will happen. And, then, the price is raised. The Indian example of prices being lowered is not the mere source of disappointment. The need to raise prices could so easily have been dumped on the poor Nepal Oil Corporation management as to convince the consumers that there was no option to raising prices. No politics this.

Of course, both the congress and the UML are giving whole hog in pulling in their nationwide workers for demonstrations in the Kathmandu valley. Bus tickets coming to Kathmandu are sold out and party workers with sagging morale have a new agenda at Palace-bashing. There is much meaning now behind the new demands for a constituent assembly. The congress particularly are using it to announce their displeasure. The Left on the other hand have a more conciliatory agenda. Amidst the confusion, the proximity between the congress and the Maoists standpoints become clearer still.

Splits, fissures and differences in political parties continue

Kathmandu: All that the formation of the Chand government did was to bring about a fissure in various political parties.

If this could be considered a gain for the Chand's government, then it is.

Consider how Ramesh Chaulagain used to be a staunch member of the UML central command differed with his colleagues who was later sacked by the party and instantly elevated to the ministerial ranks in the incumbent cabinet.

Chaulagain claims that he yet possesses many colleagues in the erstwhile party who subscribe to his views but do not speak for fear of being sacked. In effect, Chaulagain suggested the UML not to widen the rift in between his party and the Palace and reconcile in the larger interests of the nation.

If Chaulagain is believed then what is for sure is that there could be a sizeable number in the UML who if seduced with sizeable packets of sweets might leave the party for good. Indeed, the sacked ones might demand a berth in the present cabinet. This ultimately means that the UML as of today is not a solid and a united party as it used to be in its formative days.

The second party which is feeling the brunt of the Chand's cabinet is none other than the Sadbhavana party whose Acting President has been picked up for the post of the country's Deputy Prime Minister. Some disgruntled but yet influential members of the party conclude that DPM Mandal's appointment to the DPM post came as a bolt from the blue to them. They further opine that Mandal joined the cabinet on his own and hence did not enjoy party's unconditional backing.

The conflict in between the party's general secretary Hridyesh Tripathi and Acting president Mr. Mandal took a dangerous turn Monday that the latter preferred to sack outright his former general seccretary for his unwarranted utterances against the party's man now the DPM in the cabinet.

The sacked one, Mr. Tripathi, claims that his being sacked by the acting president Mr. Mandal was an "unconstitutional" act and that he would "see" the personality who brushed him aside.

Tripathi and Mandal both claim that they have their hold in the party which plainly means that both conflicting parties have their followers in the organization. This ultimately means that Mandal's appointment as the DPM of the country did manage one way or the other a split in the party. Political watchers say that is the said conflict continues for long then the party might split vertically.

All in all, the NSP for the moment stands divided.

Thirdly, take the RPP itself which has supplied the country its "leader" as the Prime Minister.

Regarding the surprising appointment of their leader as nation's prime minister, the party insiders claim that the said appointment came as a surprise for them all.

The RPP as a party is now in such a position that neither it can denounce Chand's appointment to the post of Premier nor it could wholeheartedly support his nomination by the King. The party remains yet divided on whether to extend support to its party leader or denounce the appointment.

"The problem with us is that we as a party have been pushed to the wall. Our party's leader is the prime minister. This is a matter of honor for us all. But he has been appointed as prime minister without the party's prior approval. But then yet people will blame the party for his possible failures", so says RPP's senior leader Rabindra Nath Sharma—a contender for the chairman post in the coming party elections.

What is clear from Sharma's utterances is that the party has yet to reconcile with the events that unfolded on October 4 and the rest of the events that followed subsequently.

All put together, a sort of process appears to have begun which aims at creating rifts in the political parties and enjoy the political benefits from the splits, fissures and differences or whatever it may be.

Nepali politics likely to take a different turn soon

Kathmandu: The constitutional monarch's use of Article 127 on October 4 has shaken the country's politics.

The national politics got yet another jerk in the eyes of the major political parties when the monarch at the "suggestions" of the Prime Minister expanded the Chand's cabinet only last week.

Beginning October 4, the country's politics has not been in favor of the major political parties who in one way or the other remained instrumental in "forcing" the King to assert some of his lost powers.

However, contrary to the NC and the UML claims, the King in his tete-a-tete with some of the political leaders been hinting that his "commitments" towards the system now in place remains as solid as the Himalayas. The political paraphernalia suspects the very intentions and the motives of the King. In the process, the lay men remain mere spectators. They neither favor the political parties' stance nor wish the King to act like an active monarch.

This has indeed widened the gap in between the constitutional monarch and the political parties. While the major political parties prefer a sort of correction from the Palace for the previous controversial moves, the Palace apparently thinks that whatever moves emanated from the Palace were all in line with the 1990 constitution and hence no need to correct the measures already brought into action.

In the process, the gap between the two established forces, i.e. the King and the political parties is further widening.

It is this gap between the two which is being very calculatedly exploited by the Maoists insurgency.

A careful analysis of various statements issued by the insurgency of late reveals that the Maoists prefer a sort of continuing rift in between the two established forces and weaken the whole state mechanisms in order to benefit politically from the said differences and the existing rift.

Consider the last statement issued by Prachanda wherein he at one point scathingly criticizes the UML and its stance to their idea of constituent assembly which implies that the congress led by Girija Prasad Koirala were toeing his line of the formation of a constituent assembly.

The fact is that the congress and the UML have yet to express their party standpoints on matters related to a constituent assembly. They have, till today, neither exhibited their total commitment in favor of the constituent assembly nor have outrightly dismissed the Maoists idea. But then yet some leaders from both the quarters have spoken about the need to go in for a constituent assembly. It could be their private standpoints.

Prachanda's statement that has come in the form of an interview does not outrightly reject the possibility of the talks but says that the talks could happen only when the talks facilitated greater "rights" to the people.

He also maintains that the country could only get out of the present morass if their demand for a round table conference, formation of an interim government and the formation of a constituent assembly yielded positive results. This means that the Maoists insurgents would wish talks with this government if the latter prepares itself to take up the matter of constituent assembly.

Though this proposition might appear a tougher one for the government to discuss at the negotiating table, but then Chand's number two in the cabinet has hinted that the government was ready to discuss the matter even that of the constituent assembly.

There is nothing new in Prachanda's interview except that he has said that the present establishment is weakening itself through its own activities and that the Maoists insurgency might turn friendly towards the parties whom they consider now unfriendly provided the parties offered their support in favor of "people's struggle".

What becomes clear is that the Maoists will continue to press for their demand for a constituent assembly. In the process they will seek the support of Nepal's major parliamentary parties for their cause. How the political parties finally respond to Prachanda's request will depend much on how the Chand government or for that matter the Palace treats the former in the impending days.

Much will also depend on the reaction of the teeming 70% of the illiterate Nepali population who apparently do not understand the nitty-gritty of a constituent assembly. It is this politically marginalised population that neither participated in the democratic system nor were told to participate.

Should we then go for a national referendum and seek people's choice?

NC gears up its agitation program

Kathmandu: The stage is set for confrontation.

The Nepali congress apparently is preparing itself to confront the constitutional monarch. In the process the party led by Girija Prasad Koirala has already initiated its "awareness" program that aims at convincing the people that the constitutional monarch in the recent days, and months has exceeded his constitutional limits.

The idea, say NC insiders, is to press the King to correct the Royal measures of October 4 and restore what the NC thinks "derailed democracy".

Beginning Tuesday, the NC will continue to make "aware" the people for along a month or so and then its is expected to devise other mechanisms to press the King further.

The NC party got a sort of encouragement from the Bangkok declaration which expressed deep "concern" over the Nepal events unfolded well after October 4 last month.

Well over fifty political parties attended a conference held in Bangkok recently and decided to express their concern for the unfolding events in Nepal.

The NC and the UML leaders attended this conference and have returned home "satisfied".

NC men say that they don't want a direct clash with the monarch but will not settle for less until the King yields to their demands.

Girija Prasad Koirala is from the very beginning been demanding the restoration of the now dissolved parliament which if restored, opines Koirala, would do away with the current aberrations seen in the functioning of the 1990 constitution. If the King does not do so as per the dictates of Koirala, the party and specially its leader will continue to press the King to comply to his and his party's demands.

Quite interestingly, the UML does not subscribe to the views of Koirala. But blames the King to have exceeded his constitutional limits firstly at time of the use of the article 127 on October 4 and secondly exhibits its utter displeasure over the manner the King has "assumed" the "'executive" powers on his own personality which should, says the UML, have remained in the hands of the prime minister and the cabinet.

This means that there is a clear difference in seeing the King's moves of October 4 and thenceforth by the UML and the NC.

It is not that the UML is not displeased with the King's move. It is indeed dissatisfied but has been using rather mild tones. The party which should have exhibited its aggressiveness over King's moves appears mild and the party which normally favors the King at least in its manifesto has gone crazy.

Talking about NC, it is a party which has in the past taken up the arms and made at least on two occasions attempts on the life of the monarch.

Keeping this fact into account and considering Koirala's stubbornness what could be predicted in advance is that the party till it remains in the grips of Koirala will continue its agitation till the monarch yields.

Summing it up, the country might see turbulence in the days ahead which if not tackled carefully might bring in alien forces who would wish to fish in the troubled Nepali waters.

Bir Hospital gets Cleaning equipment

Kathmandu: Bir Hospital, the oldest and biggest hospital in the country, has been supplemented with different kinds of cleaning equipment from the Rotary Club of Kasthamandap.

The equipment was distributed amid a function at the premises of Rotary Club of Kasthamandap on last Friday. Gajendrabahadur Shrestha handed over the gifts to Bir Hospital's Director Manoharlal Shrestha. Health Minister Upendra Devkota also was present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, minister Devkota expressed the view that many programs in the past did not become practical enough for running after the donors in the process of procuring the necessary resources.

"We study about sophisticated treatment but we don't have resources like there, in such cases we can get similar treatment should we treat in accordance with our context.", he said citing examples of the neurological department of Bir Hospital.

Director of the hospital, Dr. Shrestha said that the gifted items will help the hospital improve its management. It is learnt all the items provided by the Rotary Club are cleaning equipment.

Shri Niranjan Bhattarai of Rotary Club also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the need to keep the environment hygienic specially inside the hospital premises.

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