Kathmandu: Nepal’s conspiratorial politics appears to take a new turn upon the King’s return from his India pilgrimage.
This is what the member of the Nepali civil society and political creatures together with the Maoists leaders believe.
One Maoist leader went to the extent when he deliberately or otherwise hinted that there was no use of initiating talks with the government when the King was not available in the country.
Fortunately or unfortunately this “strange” revelation of the Maoist leader contributes to the suspicion of some political parties that the Maoists this time of ceasefire announcement have “struck” a secret deal not with the government in place but straight with the monarch. This revelation also adds to their suspicion when they say that the present ceasefire announcement is nothing more than a deal struck in between the “two guns”, one of the Nepali army and the other that of the Maoists militia.
Be that as it may, to add insult to injury, yet another Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara surprised many a political pundits here when he divulged that “ministers in the Chand cabinet differ sharply on matters pertaining to the talks with the Maoists”
In the same vein Mahara also laid bare that there had been a marathon in and among the cabinet members to bag “personal credit” by being in the team for the talks with the Maoists.
That was not all, Mahara also maintained that minister Narayan Sing Pun can in no way advance the talks with them to greater desired levels because his “political limits” are very much cramped.
If it is so then the Maoists apparently wish to start the talks with such a big-shot in the government (?)who could listen and Okay their demands. This further means that the Maoists possess certain demands that needed the approval and acceptance by some high level personality and who could be such a personality to give a positive nod in favor of their demands? Here lies the significance of Mahara’s assertion that minister Pun’s hands are tied.
This in other words could also be interpreted that they would wish to initiate the talks only after the King returns from India hoping perhaps that if any hitch cropped up during the talks, it would only be the King who could unknot the knot.
Yet another condition the Maoists appear to push before the government is that they will sit on the table only after the government withdraws the cases filed against some of their top-hats such as Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai and Comrade Prachanda.
Legal experts say that the government can withdraw those cases only which it has filed against the Maoists leaders but can’t do so on cases which have been filed by individuals against the Maoists leaders.
This is creating problems apparently for the initiation of the talks. The problem is that the Maoists would wish their party comrades to come to the open with clean chit but the government can’t do so legally.
However, there is a way out say informed sources. The government through a cabinet decision if approaches the constitutional monarch and convinces the King to grant ” general amnesty” then the present legal hurdles could be cleared.
But will the King do so when the talks have yet to begin in between what the political parties say “two guns”? Or the King could oblige the cabinet decision in good faith that the talks with the Maoists will have a safe landing to the restoration of peace in the Kingdom? Of the two options at perusal either could happen.
This notwithstanding, Comrade Prachanda has freshly said that the talks with the government will begin at the earliest.
If it is so then what about the statements being made by Prachanda’s colleagues who have already become open and been initiating their formal contacts with various political sectors including the Chand government?
Comrade Prachanda’s fresh revelation means that what Mahara and his colleague have been saying in the recent days regarding the possibilities of the talks were all off-the-cuff remarks. But how it could be that the Maoists leadership remains divided on the resumption of the talks with the government? Is it that Comrade Prachanda and Mahara possess different opinions in this regard? Should this mean that there do exist yet two lines in the Maoists political stream: one that favored early talks and the one that wished to grill the government for some time more? Analysts say that when the militant faction led by firebrand Engineer Ram Bahadur Badal too is in favor of talks then all that the general population can do is to hope that talks will happen and that too at the earliest.
Who knows what is being cooked in both the camps?
However, what has been given to understand by both the camps is that bot were equally serious for the talks. Question arises: will both cooperate each other and put all wild and otherwise speculations to rest in the larger interest of the nation?