Nepali Times

Patched up

Prashant JhaHeadline

Headline | From Issue #488 (February 5-11, 2010)

KIRAN PANDAY
I'M WITH YOU: Maoist party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal reaches out to Baburam Bhattarai at a function at the Nepal Academy, Friday

After flirting with dangerous dogmatic politics, and overcoming  volatile internal rifts, the Maoist standing committee has decided to re-focus on the constitution and the peace process

In an exclusive interview to Nepali Times earlier this week, Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said, "The party has had a history of ideological two-line struggles. But all of us have now vowed to work together, under a unified leadership, to implement the work plan."

The plan includes:

First, a renewed emphasis on constitution and peace. This is a vindication of Baburam Bhattarai's proposal, and sidelines those who were advocating an immediate 'people's revolt'.

There appears to be a realisation that Nepalis, or even party cadre, do not want an outright confrontation. The party has also assessed the balance of power.

Dahal admitted, "A revolution may succeed, but there is an equal danger of a counter revolution." The party will push for a revolt, he said, only if it feels domestic and international forces are conspiring to obstruct the peace process.

Second, the Maoists will continue to emphasise civilian supremacy and national independence. "We are not giving up on those issues. But we hope to find a way out through dialogue in the High Level Political Mechanism. The president's step has to be addressed for the political deadlock to end," Dahal maintained.

A Maoist-led national unity government remains on the agenda, but indications are the party will not hold the peace process hostage because of this.

Third, Dahal formally reiterated the Maoist stance that integration and constitution-writing have to go together.

"The first cannot happen before the second and that is why the present government plan is not acceptable to us...a final decision should be taken on this issue after the constitution has decided on the new security policy and new state structure," he said.

"Democratisation of the Nepal Army must also happen simultaneously," he said. "We are not saying this to make the army Maoist as our opponents allege, but to make them paribartanmukhi, pro-change."

The Maoists are cooperating with the Special and Technical Committee, but the other parties are insisting the PLA question must be settled before the new constitution.

Nonetheless, there is an air of cautious optimism in political circles, and the task now is to address specific constitution and peace related issues in a short span.

READ ALSO:
United we stand tall - FROM ISSUE #488 (05 FEB 2010 - 11 FEB 2010)
"Find the correct balance of pace for both sides" - FROM ISSUE #480 (11 DEC 2009 - 17 DEC 2009)

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  • kamal kishor

    After reading your assessment, unknowingly I had a sigh of relief as if a great burden was off my shoulder. I hope it will lead to open dialogue between Nepali political parties and particularly between the Maoists and UML as it looks like they have become the extreme poles in the current political fights. You have given me a hope that the Maoists might embrace less stringent and non-ethnical federal system. Federalism should never have been imposed in such a unabashed way by the Maosits and others including UML and NC who should not have succumbed to it. I don

  • Shrijan Shrestha

    omg...last week nepali times wrote that there was rift between the two leaders. Now they say that they have patched up. Why can't you guys stick to what you say or not write without proper research. This is absolutely ridiculous. One minute you say one thing and next completely the opposite.

  • Arthur

    Shrijan Shrestha, since last week the entire talkocracy was buzzing about the rift between the two leaders and this week it is obvious that there is no rift between the two leaders it follows immediately by the ancient logic of the talkocracy that they must have "patched up" this week. If this was "The Telegraph" it would also follow logically that the Indian Embassy had instructed them to patch up. Since it is Prashant Jha in the Nepali Times we are at least spared that conclusion. Lets be grateful for that much and not have unrealistic expectations that such people could ever imagine they might have been wrong last week, let alone that they could be wrong this week or next week.

  • hks

    is it so difficult to understand that politics is dynamic business, and journalism is about covering this. yes there are rifts one week, rifts then deepen, negotiations happen, a deal takes place and a common point is arrived at. this is basic politics. why is it so stunning that one week someone doesnt like each other and the other week they do. when did nt say there would be a split anyway. read carefully before making dumbass statements.

  • Arthur

    hks, why is it so stunning that a talkerati that has no understanding of actual politics but only of gossip and intrigues should buzz about things that haven't happened and then when it is obvious that they were wrong, buzz that something else has happened without ever reflecting on the fact that they were previously wrong? Pure gossip is never wrong, but only has updates on the "latest" gossip.

  • rishav

    I don't know what country your from Arthur, but a week in politics generally is a very long time and a week in Nepali politics is almost a life time. Haters patch up and become Lovers etc..vice versa, big deal!

  • Free Willy

    The roller coaster of Nepalese politics but sadlyjust limited to words and imagination, full of rhetoric. But here I do agree with maoists, at least in their demands on democratizing the army. It is a valid demand and something that would benefit government as well as the state. I don't see the reason why government cannot come up and say what their demands and how they expect it to transpire into practical procedures. But we the people seem fooled by these rhetoric because neither Maoists really mean it, not government really cares what is good. There is this quest for power irrespective of what people want, sadly manipulating the same people and to achieve the same people power.

  • Free Willy

    The roller coaster of Nepalese politics but sadlyjust limited to words and imagination, full of rhetoric. But here I do agree with maoists, at least in their demands on democratizing the army. It is a valid demand and something that would benefit government as well as the state. I don't see the reason why government cannot come up and say what their demands and how they expect it to transpire into practical procedures. But we the people seem fooled by these rhetoric because neither Maoists really mean it, not government really cares what is good. There is this quest for power irrespective of what people want, sadly manipulating the same people and to achieve the same people power.

  • CyberLekali

    DK aka "Arthur", Talkocracy or Prachandocracy, it is crazy Maoists thugs talking. They just suffer attention syndrome. Sometime, this idiot BRB talks about without Maoist participation in the government, CA (which has nothing to do with Govt) can not write constitution. BS over BS analysis.