Kathmandu: Girija Prasad Koirala, the president of the congress party, is a changed personality now.
Many believe that Koirala is thinking on how to strike a clandestine political deal with the incumbent Prime Minister, Surya Bahadur Thapa that benefits his political organization.
Observers claim that Koirala was forced to acquire this new stance when he calculated that Thapa will neither resign from the current post nor he will allow the ongoing agitation waged by five parliamentary parties to succeed.
Koirala’s close aides maintain that Koirala must have come to his senses when he listened to Thapa’s revelation that he might think of declaring the dates for the elections.
The NC president gets so many messages from Thapa’s intent in declaring the elections.
Firstly, Thapa’s hint at the possibility of the country going to the polls does amply indicate that the former will not resign from the current post come what may. This means that Thapa will continue as the nation’s prime minister until the elections. Secondly, sending signals of the election, Thapa apparently hints the political parties waging a sort of movement against the establishment and the King as well that they abandon the movement and join the government which will later take care of the elections or else they will be forced to embrace the polls amidst the current turmoil.
Koirala understands better that declaration of the elections at this juncture would mean to face the Maoists in the constituencies which his candidates will avoid to confront for obvious reasons. Koirala also understands that Thapa’s threat of throwing the country to the polls is aimed at bending the mainstream political parties to come to his terms.
In the meanwhile, a sizeable chunk of the congress party presumably suggested Koirala to mend his political differences with the incumbent Prime Minister which is why president Koirala agreed to invite Prime Minister Thapa and his cabinet colleagues to the Tea-Party.
The congress high command that was all determined not to invite the “political untouchables” at its tea-party did invite the Prime Minister and his ministers.
A clever Surya Bahadur Thapa not only attended the tea-party organized by Koirala but also succeeded in creating a rift in between the two mainstream political parties: the congress and the UML.
The UML not only boycotted Koirala’s tea party claiming that the congress by inviting the Prime minister has broken its promise made earlier with the rest of the four agitating parties but also began expressing doubts over congress’ changed stance vis-à-vis the Thapa government.
The rift is there now which is for all to see.
Madhav Nepal is on record to have said recently that he has failed to understand the recent political overtures of the congress under Girija Prasad Koirala.
This expression in itself is a reflection of the fact that the congress and the UML now differ on how to view the Thapa establishment.
Albeit, the congress outwardly has been trying to convince the UML not to take Thapa’s presence at the tea-party seriously for it was an occasion where even declared enemies could be invited. The congress claims that the party was a sort of social gathering. However, NC ideologue, Narhari Acharya begs to differ with the previous comments and prefers to call the tea-party as a political gathering.
Mr. Acharya opines that prime minister Thapa should not have been invited.
Thus, what could be fairly said is that Thapa’s presence at the party has done its job. His conspiratorial brain has once again worked. But question is being asked on what political terms and conditions Koirala took such a bold political initiative?
The UML has become alert. The lay men wish to watch the ninth phase of the movement in the light of the emerging Thapa-Koirala nexus that is yet to take a concrete shape.