August 16, 2000

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is expected to reshuffle his cabinet as well as the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the party soon.

It has become important and even urgent for Koirala to make changes both in the government and in the CWC to contain the discontent which had suddenly erupted last week after the sacking of Water Resources Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka.

Khadka was sacked from the cabinet by Koirala after the former demanded that the post of the party president be handed over to the young generation and also venting his frustration over the functioning of the government.

The sacking of Khadka, who was instrumental in electing Koirala as the leader of the party’s parliamentary committee four months ago, virtually triggered the move within the party to trim Koirala’s wings within the party.

This move was further fanned by Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, who may be looking for revenge against Koirala for planning his unceremonious ouster from the government four months ago. Bhattarai, with the tacit support of Koirala opponents like Sher Bahadur Deuba, Chirinjibi Wagle and Purna Bahadur Khadka, has put five demands for PM Koirala to fulfil.

The demands are: Koirala should reconstitute the cabinet and the party’s central working committee with the induction of more Bhattarai supporters, relinquish the post of party president and appointment of an acting party president from among his opponents, Koirala should declare that he will not stand for party president in the party’s forthcoming national convention and the party convention should be deferred by several months.

However, the demands, except the reconstitution of the cabinet and the CWC, were rejected by the CWC meeting hastily called by Koirala on Friday. Koirala openly said after a meeting with Bhattarai on Monday, that he will not fulfil the other demands.

For Koirala, accepting these demands, especially that he should not stand for the party president, would virtually mean committing political suicide. The CWC’s support may be a big boost to Koirala, but the crisis in the Nepali Congress is far from over.

However, according to a source, both sides have agreed to negotiate on the demands. If the stalemate goes on a no-confidence motion against Koirala could be registered in the party’s parliamentary committee, the source said.

Meanwhile, the biggest loser in the present struggle for power has been Krishna Prasad Bhattarai. Bhattarai had fanned the discontent against Koirala by putting five demands to Koirala. But him boycotting the CWC meeting and not coming out openly for support has weakened his case.

Again, Bhattarai was even rebutted by some senior Congress leaders like Beni Bahadur Karki, Bal Bahadur Rai and Jagannath Acharya for his ambition to again become the Prime Minister.

Last week at a programme organised by the Reporters’ Club, Congressmen including Dhundi Raj Shastri, considered a Bhattarai supporter, said it would be wrong if Bhattarai wants to become prime minister again.

However, Koirala should also be blamed for the crisis the Nepali Congress is undergoing. One of the biggest faults, Koirala’s opponents say he has, is that he only listens to his cronies and does not incorporate the suggestions of those who do not go with his ideas in the party and the government. He is even accused of going to any extent to get onto the power. The sacking of Khadka could be a proof of this.

Evidences and incidences have shown that crises within the Nepali Congress in the last 10 years have always come forth because of the personal ambitions of these two leaders. With their mode of working, these two leaders may have now become more a liability than assets to the Nepali Congress.

But what may be unfortunate for NC is that its second rank leaders also do not look promising to take the party forward unitedly and with a vision.