Nepali Maoists steal march over Indian Maoists
Edit by M Rama Rao in The National Herald
The visit of External Affairs Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee to Kathmandu coincided with the draft Nepali constitution getting approval of all concerned and the Maoists getting back to the drawing board for transforming their outfit into a political entity. He did not meet the Maoist leaders and confined his meetings with the Prime Minister Mr Girija Prasad Koirala and his colleagues in the government. Expectedly his decision invited criticism in the local media but political circles did not see any thing wrong. Mr.Mukherjee told a questioner at his press conference that he was on an official visit to Nepal and hence confined his dealings to official interlocutors. He did not meet the King, who has lost his stature under the interim statute. India’s position on the pro-democracy movement that had brought in a sea change in the political landscape of the Himalayan kingdom between February 2005 and April 2006 is a matter of public record. It needs no fresh elucidation. More over, as Mr Mukherjee stated, ‘India goes by the desire of the people’ on the issue of monarchy and he decided to meet the leadership of the government ‘as it exits today’. In a sense, by not meeting the Maoist leadership, the External Affairs Minister can be said to have offered a breather to the Maoists, who are facing the wrath of Indian Maoists. The Communist Party of India (Maoists) has taken to task the Nepali Maoists supremo Prachanda in the recent past on many occasions. They ticked him off for the praise he had heaped on New Delhi for brokering a peace pact between the Maoists and the mainstream seven party alliance led by Nepali Congress last year. In a manner of speaking this agreement signed in New Delhi paved the way for ‘baptism’ of Nepali Maoists into mainstream politics. The question is why Indian Left wing extremists are critical of Prachanda and co.? Obviously they are still unable to read the dynamics of politics in the 21st century. Ideology of any kind cannot remain a dogma. It must adopt itself to prevailing situation at any given time. Unfortunately, Indian Maoists have not come to terms with the truism. Consider the latest comments what the Communist Party of India (Maoists) spokesman. In a statement, he said, “Prachanda’s praise for India's role in bringing about the agreement creates illusions among the masses about India rather than preparing them for fighting the Indian expansionists who are keen on skirmishing Nepal in future”. What a testimony this statement is to the fact the Indian Maoists are still harping on time worn rhetoric. Also to a worry that sooner than later they too under pressure to revisit their revolutionary strategies.
Be as that may, interest is bound to be focused in the days ahead on the way Nepali leaders are inching their way to declare the country as Republic. Already, the interim statute has stripped the King of all powers and removed any scope for him to stage a comeback. It has made the Prime Minister the de facto interim head of state. In their anxiety to move away from the King, the authors of the constitution have invested the Prime Minister with massive powers but did not incorporate any provisions to remove him. Their argument is that the interim government would be run by consensus and as such there will be no scope whatsoever for arbitrary exercise of powers by the prime minister. Consensus politics is not the forte of Nepal politicians. This is the reason why Nepali Congress, the Grand Old Party (GOP), has become the amoeba of Nepal politics. Already the Nepal Sadhbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) has decided to hit the roads with a call for Madhesh Bandh on December 25 against the interim constitution