Kathmandu: Nepal’s already conspiratorial politics appears to be heading towards taking yet another conspiratorial turn which if materializes would definitely be to the political disadvantage of the incumbent Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The sudden bonhomie seen in the congress’ Girija Koirala camp and the main opposition led by Madhav Nepal of late is not only intriguing but also possesses the potential to give a big jolt to the existing Nepali politics.
Madhav Nepal and Girija Prasad Koirala speak almost the same voice. Both express the same concern. Both claim to speak the “grievances” of the people more specially after the imposition of the state of emergency. The two stalwarts make statements, which indirectly hints that the incumbent regime led by Deuba is lost in the midst of the existing state of emergency. At times both hint that the nation very needed a sort of political consensus among the democratic minded political parties in order to safeguard the system which apparently, according to them, is facing danger to its very existence.
While President Koirala’s outbursts against his arch political rival could be understood in the sense that the former begins talking any thing under the sun as and when he is out of power. Similarly, Koirala sees every thing to have gone from bad to worse when he is not in power.
But why Madhav Kumar Nepal is siding with President Koirala at this critical juncture is a thing that needs thorough analysis.
If the past performances of the UML were any indication, then what could be said of the party is that it was this party which clandestinely supported Deuba-Bhattarai combine at time when Koirala was in power. To recall, it was this UML which created havoc during the winter session of the parliament last year. It was this session, which could not work for even a single minute because the UML had one point agenda and that being the summary ouster of Prime Minister Koirala from the chair.
Now it is the same UML, which apparently has sided, with Koirala and for what gains in return no body knows.
However, UML as a communist party is comparatively a clever party indeed. Those who understand UML better say that the party initiates actions against any person or for that matter any political faction or so only when it calculates that the end result will definitely be in its “political interests”.
However, what political benefit this time the UML will bag by aligning itself with the Koirala faction of the congress is yet unclear. It is also not yet clear as to what political benefits Koirala could have assured to the UML in case their joint actions topple the government of Sher Bahadur Deuba?
The question then again arises: what plans do they both possess for the ouster of Deuba and what procedures could be acquired for the ouster of Deuba at time of the continuing emergency?
And the final question that comes to our mind is that will not Sher Bahadur Deuba utilize the state of emergency in shielding his regime from the frontal attacks coming as it does from his own party and without?