JP’s inner abhorrence against ruling elites gets out in the open

I don’t know how to start this piece today. It is a piece being written about a human being, a personality indeed of late, on whom I trusted and honored most. The love and respect I provided him not because he happens to be a person who took birth in the same neighborhood where I was born. But for varied unexplained reasons. Albeit, the age difference could be there. But yet, I never indicated him that I could be his best friend for having taken birth in the same neighborhood and by that token we were brothers. We certainly belonged to different castes. However, I never took it otherwise as is, how he has made us known from his own assertions.

To me he was an asset of the nation. I took pride in him for we belonged to the same soil. Given this fact, I admired his aptitude, his talent, his writing skills and impromptu lecture he used to make frequently as was required by his glamorous job.

He began as a mere reporter in a weekly that is just six months senior to what I edit today. I honor this weekly from where he trained himself, I suppose, for its creative writings and critical analyses. Of late, this weekly, has become a bias one to the extent that I at times feel that should I drop its buying. Any way, let’s come to the point. But then yet, I should tell the individual to whom it is concerned not to take it that seriously though I have some mild criticisms against this junior friend, close to my younger brother and a sharp leader of the country who appears to have left him lost in the midst of healthy/unhealthy criticisms hurled, deliberately or otherwise, on his personality, a personality he so carefully built in these democratic years.

A mere reporter-turned-press advisor-turned minister and what not what not is the man on whom this piece is concentrated today. However, I must appreciate his lust to read various books which apparently have provided him with the skill on how to sharpen his knowledge and present it in a manner that appealed the readers undoubtedly. He has done that. Bravo my junior colleague.

He is nonelessthan Congress ex-minister, JP, as he is called among his inner circles. He is Jay Prakash Gupta-Ananda. Ananda is a word in Nepali whose literal meaning is that he who has this word as a tag with him is a person who is ever in a pleasant mood. But I now doubt, he is that which he claims. He is an unhappy person from his inner heart and outside as well. This is my perception which he can deny summarily.

This personality recently has brought a book of his memoirs while he was acting as a minister in Sher Bahadur Deuba’s cabinet.

The book is nicely written. Presentation is marvelous. The persons whom he has attacked are all well personalities of the nation whom he now hates from his inner core as is distinctly evident from his writings. He writes so many things and hits everywhere and everyone possible. The target of his attack naturally are those whom he considers the ruling elite from Brahminic, Chettri and the Newar class. It is his pen so he is entitled to do that. The book certainly deals with the working styles in the government and how at times, more often than not, the Palace intervenes to its advantage.

Without stretching it further, what I wish to submit to my readers is that the writer of the book is at the moment suffering from a sort of inferiority complex which he could have avoided easily.

What also becomes clear is that he now possesses a sort of hatred towards the Brahmins whom he considers, by implication, to be personalities who have vowed not to allow others to come up. His hatred towards the Brahmins gets reflected from his vitriolic remarks against the person who brought him to the bars for his alleged involvement in acts of corruption while in power. By attacking Suryanath, he exposes his inner bitter feelings against the Brahmins. In the same vein, he also discloses that he can’t be a national leader but would content himself if he were allowed to act on behalf of the Terains. JP must be congratulated for his courage that he for so long kept his inner hatred undeclared. If it were others, it would have exploded much ahead.

What is also clear is that this personality associated himself with Girija Koirala, a Brahmin indeed, only to elevate his ranks and when he attained or was pulled to a desired height, he now feels comfortable even in deriding at his mentor-Koirala. In the same vein, he summarily hates all those Nepali leaders who more often than not prefer to ignore the pressing issues of the Teraian. Notably, he hints that those who ignore were all from the upper castes for whom the Teraian issue was nothing more than an issue to be left un-addressed for good. I am myself a Teraian but then I differ with his allegations. Question could be asked as to why he did not push his ideas ferociously when he was himself in power? While out of power, he suddenly develops love for the community to which he belongs. Must be possessing a volcanic sort of feelings against whom he considers the villain of the teraian betterment.

Likewise, in the process of writing the book, JP unknowingly pushes himself closer to Indian lobby. His attack of some pressmen who generally write in favor of their country comes to JP as a sore. By implication, those who write in favor of Nepal are dubbed as an anti-Indian and this is what India believes. Gupta’s subtle hint on those media men boomerangs.

At yet another level, JP attacks a well known water-resource expert. This sufficiently tells his tale as to why he attacks the expert who has been just demanding equal share in power and water as and when such an agreement with other side is done. This explains his inner feelings for India, to put it mildly.

The writer of the book does not hide that he has had very intimate relations with some top-hats in India who mean much there. This also explains his inner links with some top-notch in the neighborhood.

For him the Palace is the real villain. For him Deuba was a lame-duck prime minister. For him, the CIAA is a money-spinning factory for the commissioners working there.

However, what he forgets to write in the book of his own contribution in contaminating the present day Nepali social order. Unless proved guilty by the competent court, he definitely enjoys the benefit of doubt. It could also be deduced that had he not been dragged by the CIAA, things would have been different in his eyes. However, that was not to happen.

By and by, Gupta by penning this amazing book, if on the one hand has exposed the relations between Singhdurbar and the Rajdurbar, on the other, he has also exposed himself and established better late than never that he too could harp on communal lines if that benefited his political career. At best, JP, one fine morning could join the Nepal Sadbhavana Party.

I suppose, JP, by bringing out this book has done more damage to his own personality than what he have thought of otherwise. How the two splinter congress think about him now will have determined his fate in the party. But then, for me, he was a leader of national stature who could have one day led the country as a Nepali not as a communal Nepali who possessed hatred against all the PAHADIAS. I would have appreciated his leadership then. However, JP has cheated my high estimation what I have had for him.

In sum, the book penned by him is worth reading. To understand JP’s yet undisclosed and hidden "inner feelings" better, the book will be a supportive tool.

Headline | Opinion | Dateline | National |  5 Question  | Editorial | Letter | Views | International | Past