Is the Deuba establishment in touch with the Maoists leaders’?

July 31, 2002
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Kathmandu: The UML is clearly in a mood to face the elections and hopes that it would emerge with flying colors should the congress crisis remain as it is at the moment.

The Koirala congress has yet to decide whether or not to fight the elections. It fears what if the already annoyed Election Commission offered the Tree and the Flag symbol to the Deuba congress in a silver plate.

The Maoists apparently have changed their posture vis-à-vis the elections and have though not made any comments on whether to participate in the upcoming elections or not but at least have given the impression to all and sundry that they would not disturb the election process. This becomes evidently clear from their stepping down from the one point agenda of Republicanism and then to Constituent Assembly and finally offering for talks. At best what they are demanding now is an Interim arrangement that would conduct the elections.

The meager parties such as the RPP too hopes that they could bag a good number of seats in the parliament should the congress fight continued for long. Their hope is not against hope for the sharp division has come in the form of a vertical split in the congress is surely to benefit, politically speaking, either the UML or the RPP. However, the RPP has yet to keep its house in order for the Kathmandu rumor mill suggests that the party is sharply divided over its impending convention. Some say it has got to be convened prior to the elections, others reject for their own explanations.

The Sadbhavana-a regional party in essence, is apparently bogged down in its own leadership struggle. Whether the acting president Badri Mandal should be elevated to the ranks of the President or some one else more influential than Mandal should be searched for the presidency is what is causing concern in the party which has become a source of trouble in the party.

The Deuba congress is reaping the harvest alone and that too uninterruptedly and thus has speeded up its election campaign through the “use” and the “misuse” of the government authority, resources and the “state owned, controlled, dictated, maneuvered and managed” media.

At times it appears that the government under Deuba has exceeded the limits in the abuse of its authority at time of the election. Poor Election Commission stands like a silent spectator. This is the general allegation labeled by most of the opposition parties understandably including Koirala congress. This has not deterred the Deuba congress because it is in the government. Not very surprisingly, this Koirala did when he was the Prime Minister. For the lay men the exceeding of the “‘election limits-ethics” make no difference.

Though unconfirmed, however, sources in government say that the Maoists were being lured by the establishment to participate in the elections. The tone of the government apparently has changed of late vis-à-vis the Maoists leaders and their insurgency. For example’ the Home Minister recently said that “after all what is blocking the way of Prachanda from participating in the impending elections”.

Going a bit more further, the minister also said that should the insurgency laid down their arms and ammunitions, a general amnesty could be brought into effect.

This means that some “mediatory” efforts were underway though clandestinely for obvious reasons.

One Human Rights activist told this scribe last week that he was in full knowledge of the government being in “touch” with the leaders of the insurgency through the use of the good offices of some noted Human Rights activists.

Nevertheless, what has been the Nepali experience is that a few self proclaimed HR Activists who more often than not exhibit their clear preference for the Maoists. However, this does not mean that they were Maoists friendly activists.

The Maoists stepping down from their fiery agenda in a stepwise manner and the establishment also ventilating “not so rough and tough” words against the former gives an impression that some positive developments were in the offing.

Intellectuals opine that Deuba government would benefit much if it manages the Maoists to take part in the elections.

Not very surprisingly then, a newspaper affiliated to the Deuba congress reveals that the Maoists have already registered a new political party at the election commission whose details are not yet known.

If it is true then the national politics might take a different turn.

Be that as it may, what the government and the Maoists have in their minds and what strategies they have both for each other under their sleeves is not known to us but yet what the people wish at large is the resumption of the peace process so that the already declared elections take place on time.

Equally true is that the national politics will take a dramatic turn if the apex court reinstitutes the parliament. If that happens then it would be more easy(?) for the parliamentary parties to take up the Maoists issue and proceed for its long awaited solution.

A fresh statement from the Maoists insurgency has sought the support of the informed citizenry to find out the whereabouts of its activists Mr. Khadka and Ms. Rekha Sharma whom the government arrested recently. The insurgency believes that Ms. Sharma is still alive but in a very bad shape.