Kathmandu: Emboldened definitely by the pretty weak and conflict ridden government at the center, the Maoists insurgents of late have stepped up their activities causing concern among the lay men.
The Maoists insurgents, to recall, have been ventilating their “reactions” to the new political environment that has so suddenly befallen on the nation more specifically after the sudden demise of their beloved monarch late King Birendra through the use of their writings and statements that find space in national newspapers.
It is altogether a different matter on how the national population have taken their controversial views regarding the present monarch and more specifically about the government structure led by Prime Minister Koirala. However, the fact is that the Maoists of late apparently have acquired a strategy to flood the Nepali media through their mind boggling and baffling statements and articles so that the government at the center remains busy in devising suitable strategies to counter those views and they in turn act as per their wishes in far flung districts and more recently in Katmandu as well.
In the process, the Maoists activists dared to plant a total of three or four explosive-gelatin right at the very heart of the capital city which was discovered by a panicked population hanging on a banner last week. Thanks the Nepali army men and the police officers who could defuse the bomb and thus saved many a precious lives.
This act, if it were of the Maoists, summarily could have been done to hint the establishment that they could do any thing right here in the capital should they wish to do so. This also means that the insurgents were in quite good numbers in the city and that they could show their presence through the exhibition of such terrifying acts. It could be thus concluded that the security systems in the city continue to be pretty weak or else how could the insurgents plant the explosives in the city center. At least, the whole planting affair could have consumed at least half and hour. What the patrolling policemen had been doing then? More disturbing is the fact that the insurgents have used a ladder for the planting of the explosives. Who supplied them with the ladder? This finally means that people sympathetic to the insurgents were in abundance in the city.
This notwithstanding, the other side of the story is that if the Maoists in essence had planted those explosives then the Maoists would do well in convincing the Kathmandu population whether this was an appropriate method to frighten and terrorize the local people? Could such measures, which create panic among the lay men, be considered right and justifiable acts? Or even it could be asked whether the method adopted by the insurgents would be taken in good taste by the trembling lay men?
The fact is that the lay men have become the victims of the security men during the day and of the insurgents in the night. It is a case that puts the common men between the fire and the frying pan. The Maoists must not terrorize the already terrorized population.
More frightening of all is the fresh statement issued by Comrade Prachanda which point blank says that his party will spare all those, political parties, groups and individuals, from a possible physical attack who do not support the present Koirala faction of the Congress. This applies also, adds Prachanda, to those who support the present constitutional monarch His Majesty King Gyanendra.
In doing so Prachanda appears to create a grand divide in and among the Koirala supporters and detractors from within and without. Could be a new strategy to further weaken the government who knows!
How the government reacts to this dangerous statement will have to be watched. However, what is for sure is that this statement might bring the new King more closer to His Majesty’s Prime Minister.