Flying colors for Koirala; Deuba is sinking horse!

January 14, 2001
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Kathmandu: Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba proved himself to be a sinking horse.

The just ended elections at Pokhara confirmed this fact. His loosing the Royal Battle was a foregone conclusion except for some Deuba media loyalists for some obvious reasons.

However, the freshly concluded Congress Circus in Pokhara also concurrently indicated that time permitting Deuba-the arch rival of newly elected President Koirala, could be a formidable threat to the latter’s twin positions:; the congress presidency and the Prime Ministership.

The 35% votes, which Deuba bagged this round of elections and thus was declared the looser, amply hints that if he worked hard in the future, he would easily destabilize Koirala and his presidency from within.

If Deuba allegations were correct at time of the primary elections made against Koirala manipulations in managing then the victory of his “voters” for Pokhara meet, then the current 35% votes what Deuba could bag against all the odds would have definitely swelled up.

Add to this the 3Ms-media, money and muscle with which Koirala was equipped with at Pokhara also if taken in to proper account means that Koirala in absence of the charismatic 3Ms and the glow of the post he was handling would have at least been at par with the votes what Deuba secured for himself.

All put together conform to the fact that Deuba has lost the battle but yet remains strong enough to face any such eventualities in the future if the situation so demand.

Now that Deuba has already been declared the looser, the question that is being asked in the congress circle and elsewhere too as to what would be Deuba’s next moves?And what course the Congress politics will take under president Koirala? Will he be able to reunite the party including Deuba and proceed jointly to fight the scores of evils and disturbances that possess the potential of even dismantling the system?

To answer to these questions will still be premature. Still, what could be guessed in advance is that the congress will, as a party, tread the way much the same way as it faired in the past without much change. The fact is that the congress was never a united force and concurrently it is a party that will perhaps never split unless atragedy of Himalayan dimension, imposed or a real one grips it.

In other words, the congress is fortunately endowed with high shock absorbing capacity and hence any minor jolt in the party will not deter it from moving ahead.

Be that as it may, much will depend on how President Koirala moves in the immediate future. Much will also depend upon the moves of his “inner coterie” as it is this coterie which makes Koirala to move in a manner that suits the coterie interests.

By next month hopefully, the course of congress’ would be politics will become clear.