Madhav, the ultimate winner

February 4, 2004
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Kathmandu: Madhav Nepal, the leader of the UML, is an eagle-eyed player of Nepali politics.

A close focus on his style of playing of politics does reveal that he is for all, and for all which in effect not a true perception.

He is, for example, with the coalition partners fighting a relentless struggle against regression and thus is close to Girija, Amik Sherchan and Bijuckche giving an impression to the partners that he is meant for them and that he would remain a strong pillar in the coalition scheme come what may.

Similarly, he is with the Maoists and meets its leaders in Siliguri and then recently in Lucknow and gives their leaders to understand that ultimately he and his party long for a republican set up and hence both must cooperate each other. This became evident when K.B.Mahara only recently divulged that the Maoists and the UML have had agreed to concentrate their struggle centering the King. Madhav Nepal did not disclose this “bilateral” understanding reached in between the UML and the Maoists in Lucknow. This means that Mr. Nepal could support the Maoists line if politics does not favor his “consensus” candidature for the post of the premiership of the country. That he is with the Maoists gets reflected from the fact that his roadmap recently brought for public consumption does hint that the roadmap thus charted by the UML could take care of Maoists primary demands should the latter supported his abstract draft.

In the same vein, the UML, or for that matter Madhav Nepal, is close to the monarch and appears not to be in a mood to confront with him as Koirala is doing at the moment now.

Madhav Nepal, if one were to analyse his recent statements made specially after King Gyanendra’s Times magazine interview, is mild in his tone when he is talking about the King in public. He does exhibit that he is unhappy with the King’s expressions in the interview but then yet concurrently suggests the monarch to reconcile with the agitating political parties.

More so, Madhav Nepal is accommodative of King’s wishes also. Firstly, he says that he would not mind if Deuba were elevated to the ranks of the Prime Minister. He says, secondly, that he was ready to head a government even if it were a government participated in by the members of various political parties and not only of such a government that is being pushed by the five agitating parties.

In effect, King Gyanendra’s desire also appears to be the formation of a government well represented by the leaders of different political parties and not limiting to the dictates of the five parties alone.

Madhav Nepal, however, is accommodative of such a scheme but then yet prefers the endorsement of the five agitating parties prior to the formation of such a government. This means that he could be with the King provided he is made the chief of the executive on either case.

Thus, it seems that Madhav Nepal is prepared to face any political challenge provided the challenge favored his political ambitions.

On other diplomatic plains, UML leader founds himself closer to the Indian establishment. And if ex-UML leader, Hiranya Lal Shrestha, were to be believed, it is this UML leader who has visited Delhi twice well within six months. The UML which began its career in Nepali politics in the early 1990s by denouncing India for so many explained and unexplained reasons is no more an “expansionist” nation in the eyes of the UML. That the UML under Mr. Nepal managed the Mahakali Treaty ratification from Nepali parliament is a case in point.

Similarly, for Madhav Nepal and his party, the United States is no more an imperialist nation. This should explain the substantial political changes that have come in in the UML’s line of thinking vis-à-vis India and the United States.

Contrary to the UML’s line on the United States, its “ideologically” close friend, the Maoists, however, continue to consider the US otherwise. The fact is also that the Maoists have yet to spell out their fresh thinking on India.

Summing it all, the UML is benefiting politically from the present constitutional crisis.

Should the nation’s politics takes any turn, Madhav Nepal and his party will take care of the rest.