Note no. 381	29.04..2007
NEPAL: Maoists Making All out efforts to declare Nepal a Republic- Update No. 125 By Dr. S.Chandrasekharan. Pressure is mounting on G.P.Koirala from all sides to declare Nepal a republic without waiting for the results of the CA Polls. The chorus for the republic has been joined by the UML also and despite the calls from other parties, G.P.Koirala has so far stood firm. Ramchandra Paudel, the second in command (at least in theory) has gone to the extent of claiming that the interim constitution has no provision to declare Nepal, a republic. He must have said it with the approval of G.P.Koirala though the argument is not valid when the entire political dispensation now obtained in not legal or in other words any move by the present government can be considered as legal and unlikely to be questioned in a court of law. Baburam Bhattarai said in a meeting on 28th April, that his party (CPN-M) would launch an indefinite agitation if the interim parliament failed to declare the country a republic by the third week of May this year. Before starting the agitation he said that they would try to generate a consensus among the eight parties on declaring Nepal a republic. If they are not successful, they would form a united leftist front to declare the country a republic by a simple majority. Earlier on 27th Badal alias Ram Bahadur Thapa, the PLA chief said that his party would be launching an agitation on the streets as Parliamentarians are not inclined to declare Nepal a republic. It is in this context of declaring Nepal a republic without waiting for the CA elections that the Maoists are seriously working for a leftist Unity and exploit the widening gulf between the leftist parties and the Nepali Congress of both factions. Consider the following events of the last two weeks- On 16th April, Prachanda declared that there was no use in attaching tail names to the leftist parties and that they should make one communist party. On 22nd April, on the fifty-seventh anniversary of the party, top leaders said that though the leftists are in a majority in the current parliament they have failed to push for a leftist agenda. Bhattarai said that the leftist parties should get united to put an end to monarchy. It is the prime responsibility of the leftist parties in Nepal to establish a republic. ( Emphasis ours) On Lenins anniversary, the leaders stressed that they should seize the opportunity and cement the absolute majority command by the communist parties in the parliament, the cabinet and the streets. ( The leftists together have 11 out of 22 ministers. All leftist parties have 182 Mps compared with 147 others that include both the Nepali Congress. A two-third majority as is required by the bill pending in the parliament, cannot be obtained unless some Nepali Congress Parliamentarians cross over. The use of the termstreets is intriguing. This only means that they have the capability to bring the country to a standstill if they begin their agitation in the streets) On 25th April, Madhav Nepal and Prachanda met and reached an agreement to form a republican front and unify the leftist parties. The United Front strategy is again in the forefront. In an earlier update 112 of 16th January, 2007 we had said that the Maoists adopted a united Front strategy in isolating the King by joining hands with the agitating seven party alliance to have what is now called the twelve point agreement ( with Indian facilitation). In the same paper we had also said that the Maoists are quite adept in using the Maos united front strategy in achieving their objectives and that once the monarchy and the royalists are neutralised they would turn their attention on the democrats. So it is now the turn of G.P.Koirala to be forced to step down. This has been said in very clear terms by Jhalanath Khanal a top leader of UML and quite close to the CPI (M) leaders of India including Sitaram Yechury! In looking for a theoretical base for the unity which is the standard practice of the communists, Bhattarai said that the ideologies espoused by the late Pushpalal, late Madan Bhandari and Prachanda to be fused to form the basis for the larger communist unity. So the stage is being set for a republican front in fighting the CA elections that may now be held sometime in October or November. On the other hand the two factions of the Nepali Congress are still talking and may continue to do so even during the CA elections! It is now the turn of the People of the Chure ( Siwaliks) to demand a separate autonomous region within the Terai for the hill people. The strike of the Chure Bhawar Ekta Samaj group has entered the sixth day. Their strike turned violent on the second day and one activist was killed and many injured both among the police and the activists in the clashes that ensued. Two ambulances and scores of other vehicles were damaged. It is not clear who is behind this agitation and who funds and organises these agitations. There is a suspicion that Maoists are behind it. So finally and after much reluctance, hesitation and constant prodding by the Nepal Sadbhavana Party leader and minister Ramchandra Mahatao, the government has decided to appoint a judicial commission headed by a judge from Terai to report on the Terai violence ( note- not specifically on the deaths of over 80 people!) The MJF has approached the Election Commission for registration of their outfit as a political party. Other Terain outfits may follow suit and the Terai would soon see the great unity shown since December 17th incident of Lahan being dissipated in petty personal quarrels and vested interests.
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