Dr. Baburam Bhattarai Stays On-Part 35

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

A conspiracy has been going on to prevent Nepalis from having federalism and federal states with identity. To this end, the opposition leaders have been attempting on overthrowing the current government. So, some leaders have been misleading the people stating the coalition of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF is trying to capture the power, and impose a totalitarian regime. The opposition leaders have tried to portray themselves as the saviors of democracy but they are really the remnants of the past despotic and corrupt regime that doesn’t want to see Nepal becoming a Federal Democratic Republic and federal states with identity. Let us save the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal from the traitors; and let us not waste the blood spilled by our brave brothers and sisters fighting for the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

The opposition leaders have already tried every possible means not to institutionalize the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. They went head-on collision with the coalition of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF not to institutionalize the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal and the federal states with identity. They made the man rejected by the voters the prime minister for more than two years and kept the CA supposed to craft a new constitution idle for that period. They put forward many excuses such as the peace process, and the army integration before making any headway to crafting a new constitution. Thus, the NC and the CPN-UML leaders kept Madhav Nepal rejected by voters in power disregarding the people’s aspiration for institutionalizing the achievements made by the people’s movement of 2006, and then by the Madheshi movement of 2008. After the coalition of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF came to power in 2011, the opposition leaders became nervous of crafting a new constitution and institutionalizing the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. So, they had been playing every possible trick on the ruling coalition of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF not to institutionalize the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal but taking power from the current coalition government by any means. They succeed to let the CA go without crafting and promulgating a new Federal Democratic Republican Constitution. That was one of their biggest achievements to stop Nepal being a Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

Now, the opposition leaders are trying to stop the current government from holding the elections to a new CA, as they are sure that the coalition of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF will win the elections to a new CA, and the new CA is sure to craft a new constitution of a Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. In order to stop the current government from holding elections to a new CA, President of NC Sushil Koirala, Chairman of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal, and their colleagues have been using every possible tool to tear down the current coalition government of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF. First, they had hoped that the head of state President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav would easily follow their advice to fire the prime minister but unfortunately for these opposition guys, President Yadav did not easily follow their advice. Then, they tried to launch street protests to dislodge the government but the common folks did not accept their senseless protests that put the lives of common folks in trouble. Now, they were holding the trump card of the budget for the FY 2012. They wanted the head of state not to issue a presidential decree on the budget. President Yadav has been quietly following this advice of the opposition leaders telling the government to build a consensus on the budget before submitting it to him for a decree. Everybody including the head of state knows that building a consensus on the budget is next to impossible. So, the opposition leaders along with the head of state have been building an excuse to topple the current coalition government, and then totally reversed all the gains made by the people’s movement of 2006 and the Madheshi movement of 2008.

In order to justify the firing of the current government, the opposition leaders have been misleading the people stating they would not approve the budget until the coalition government of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF quit the office in their favor. They also say that the current government is the caretaker government; so, it has no authority to introduce the full-fledged budget. However, they don’t say what will be the status of the next government. They also don’t say whether they would be able to build a consensus government of all political parties. If they were sincere they knew that the current opposition coalition and the ruling coalition would never build a consensus if they were to stick to their stand on the federalism and federal states. The opposition coalition of the NC and the CPN-UML did not want to step back from their stand on no to the federalism with the ethnic federal states whereas the ruling coalition of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF continues to take the stand on the federalism with the federal states of the ethnic names. Thus, the federalism and federal states are in the critical situation. If the opposition coalition were to win the political game they would certainly kill the federalism. So, the political leaders and parties opposing federalism and the federal states have been building a grand coalition to oppose the federalism and the federal states brought by spilling blood of so many brave brothers and sisters, and let the federalism go astray. This grand coalition of the opposition parties has been trying to dislodge the current government while another grand coalition called Federal Democratic Republican Alliance (FDRA) of the political parties has been supporting the current government. Currently, the battle has been between the pro and against federalists.

The ruling coalition is attempting to capture the power and then install a totalitarian regime: some leaders of the NC and the CPN-UML have been saying to the public. They had used the same trick in 2009 to finish off the government led by Chairman of UCPN-Maoist Prachanda and it worked, as the head of state President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav unwisely followed their advice to write to the then Chief of Army Staff Rukumangad Katuwal. Honoring the democratic principles and values, the then Prime Minister Prachanda quit the office in protest against the interference of the head of state President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav in the prerogative of the prime minister. Thereafter, the leaders of the NC and the CPN-UML disregarded the democratic principles and values putting the man named Madhav Nepal rejected by the voters in the office of prime minister. Mr. Madhav Nepal stayed in the office doing nothing to craft a new constitution but looted the state treasury, and visited foreign countries as many as possible. Is this the way of saving democracy or the sellout of democratic principles and values?

The coalition of the NC and the CPN-UML betrayed the voters and also made fun of the democracy putting the unelected man in the office of prime minister. So, the people believing in democracy and elections labeled the opposition leaders as traitors. This time, we don’t know whether the same trick will work or not but the opposition leaders actually have the characteristics of traitors have been intensifying to scare the people of the coalition of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF taking over the power and then introducing the totalitarian rule. The leaders of the NC and the CPN-UML turning traitors to democracy don’t want to realize that the coalition of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF has been in power following the democratic process of election; so, they don’t need to take it from anybody rather they need to consolidate it for institutionalizing the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal the opposition leaders have been trying to abandon. So, the opposition trick of lying to the people that the ruling coalition is going to run a totalitarian administration will not work this time, as they could fool the people once but not all the time.

The head of state President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav has been walking a tightrope between the ruling coalition and the opposition coalition if he could not balance his position under the hard pressure of the opposition coalition then he might fall, too. Recently, he has been tilting to the opposition coalition. If he were not to bring back his position to the balance then he might fall into an abyss. The head of state would be able to stand any pressure from anybody strictly following the constitution and the rule of law and shepherding the opposition to the elections to a new CA for crafting a new constitution and institutionalizing the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal as aspired by about 20,000 brave people that sacrificed their lives for it, and hundred of thousands of Nepalis that had spilled their blood and endure the scar of the people’s movements for making Nepal a federal democratic republic.

Ignoring the people’s sacrifice for the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the head of state President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav has already thought of destroying the infant Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal firing the current government and then inviting a storm of political conflict. However, the international community and the Nepal Army did not give a green signal to such an undemocratic step, according to the news reports. The November-17th issue of ‘The Economist’ has stated, “even though President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav has denied it; diplomats and political insiders in Kathmandu accept that earlier this month Mr. Yadav sounded out the army chief as well as the Indian ambassador about toppling the government of Nepal on November 22nd. The response he received obliged him to shelve his plans. At the time Mr. Bhattarai called for fresh elections to be held on November 22nd, the opposition parties refused to co-operate over the electoral arrangements, and the president rejected two government ordinances on election rules. President Yadav believes that as the poll date passes the government will have no legitimacy, and so must go.” Some UCPN-Maoist leaders had said in public that President Yadav was about to fire the current government if the international community and the Nepal Army had agreed on his plan, according to the recent Nepalese media reports. Immediately then, Chairman of UCPN-Maoist Prachanda went to see the head of state President Yadav whether he was to topple the government. The president denied it and asked the chairman not to believe in the media rumors.

The head of state President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav telling the Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai to build a consensus on the budget is indirectly telling him to quit the office. The president knows that the prime minister will not be able to build a consensus on the budget, as the opposition leaders are for forcing the prime minister out of the office. So, these leaders are not for talking to the prime minister rather want him to quit the office stating the caretaker prime minister has no authority to run the administration anymore. They are simply for grabbing the power. Knowing this political deadlock unbreakable, the president Dr. Yadav wants the prime minister to break it rather than the president issuing the decree on the budget and clearing off the way to the elections to a new CA.

The opposition leaders of the NC and the CPN-UML including the head of state President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav have been portraying themselves as the saviors of democracy but they don’t want to see Nepal becoming a Federal Democratic Republic and federal states with identity. These political guys don’t want to transfer the power to the federal states rather want to keep the power at the center. They know that they can make some side income even appointing the lowest possible staff called peon if they have the power all for them. So, they don’t want to part with the power. We have seen how the NC and the CPN-UML leaders have stolen the money from the state treasury and made money from appointing state staffs, from transferring them, and even appointing to the offices in the Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad when they were in power. Some guys had even paid their two-year salaries to get the positions abroad. The NC and the CPN-UML leaders do not want federalism and federal states, as their power of making money will be reduced. So, we cannot trust these unscrupulous politicians to institutionalize the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

The opposition leaders of the NC and the CPN-UML including the head of state President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav are really the remnants of the past despotic and corrupt regime. President Dr. Yadav stepped out of the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007, and directly wrote a letter to the then Chief of Army Staff Rukumangad Katuwal fired by the then Prime minister Prachanda in 2009 asking him to stay on the job ignoring the order of the prime minister. We know that CoAS Katuwal was the remnant of the corrupt and despotic monarchical regime of the past. CoAS Katuwal corrected his date of birth by the order of the then King Birendra to stay on the job for some additional years. He did not send his file to the Supreme Court of Nepal even after the court repeatedly ordered the army headquarters to do so. Thus, President Dr. Yadav had saved CoAS Katuwal: the remnant of the monarchy. The NC and the CPN-UML leaders vigorously opposed the current government’s decision on removing the bust of King Tribhuvan sitting above the statues of the four martyrs at the Sahidgate in Kathmandu. King Tribhuvan had signed off the death sentence awarded by the Rana prime minister to the four martyrs such as Sukrarja Shastri, Dharmabhakta Mathema, Dhasharath Chand, and Gangalal Shrestha. Now, his bust is standing above the busts of these four martyrs that had risen against the tyrannical Rana-Shah regime. These NC and CPN-UML guys want to keep the bust of Tribhuvan because they are the remnants of the regime presided over by Tribhuvan and his descendants. Similarly, these NC and CPN-UML guys have been glorifying Prithivinarayan Shah as the unifier of all the small kingdoms spread over the current territory of Nepal. No doubt about his unification of all these small kingdoms but he also was the founder of the monarchy that had kept Nepalis in poverty and destitute not allowing them to develop under any circumstances, and suppressed them under the threat of swords for 240 years. So, all the statues of the Shah kings standing elsewhere in Nepal are the symbols of the tyrannical regime. The then King Mahendra did a good job removing all the statues of Rana prime ministers from the crossroads of Kathmandu, as they were the part of the repressive Shah regime. However, Mahendra did so not because of their authoritarian rule but because they had taken over the power from the Shah kings for 104 years.

The Rana-Shah regime had suppressed all Nepalis in general and the ethnic Nepalis in particular for 240 years but now no forces on earth would be able to repress their uprising. Nepalis in general and the ethnic Nepalis in particular have been strong after the 10-year people’s war against the tyrannical regime of the Shah monarchy. Now, they know how they had been suppressed for the last two-and-a-half centuries. None of the political forces would be able to repress the uprising of the ethnic Nepalis if the opposition coalition of the NC and the CPN-UML were to succeed not to institutionalize the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The ethnic Nepalis would fight for their rights to live as humanly as other people in the world. So, the opposition coalition of the NC and the CPN-UML has been trying in vain to stop the 21st-century waves of political consciousness doing everything possible not to institutionalize the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

However, Nepalis would save the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal from the traitors not to spill any more blood of Nepalis to reinstate democracy again and again; and would not waste the blood spilled by our brave brothers and sisters fighting for the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The NC and the CPN-UML leaders in the guise of saviors of democracy have been practically killing the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, and in cooperation with other political parties of former royalists have been boasting that they are creating a political storm to finish off the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal but Nepalis in general and ethnic Nepalis in particular will not lose whatever they have got from the various people’s movements of the past. Ethnic Nepalis would not settle anything less than the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal no matter how long they would need to confront the political opposition of any kind.

Speaking at the function held in Kirtipur to mark the Nepal Samvat New Year 1133 on November 10, 2012, Chairman of the UCPN-Maoist Prachanda said that the protest movement announced today by the opposition parties including the NC and the CPN-UML was against federalism and change, and the counter revolutionary in nature. Chairman Prachanda accused the NC and the CPN-UML of they were neither for drafting a new constitution nor taking the leadership of the new government; the intention of the NC was to abort the process of turning Nepal into a federal state.  Chairman Prachanda complained that the constitution could not be drafted because both the NC and the CPN-UML refused to institutionalize the rights of the disadvantaged communities. (Source: HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE, November 10, 2012)

Speaking at the function of exchanging greetings held by Nepal Tamang Sangh Kathmandu Liaison Committee in Kathmandu on Monday, November 12, 2012, President of NC Sushil Koirala said that the opposition movement would eventually thwart ambitions of the Maoists to impose ´totalitarian rule´ in the country; the opposition movement was aimed at establishing sustainable peace and stability in the country after ridding the country of fear, threats and ´totalitarianism´ of the Maoists. (Source: myrepublica.com, November 12, 2012).

Thus, Mr. Koirala was misleading the Nepalis that the country was heading to the totalitarian regime if his party were not in power. To take power, he needed to follow the democratic process of elections; unfortunately for his party and him, too, Mr. Koirala was determined to grab power through the street movement. The irony is while creating a political storm Mr. Koirala anticipates a lasting peace in the country.

Sujata Koirala says that international unseen forces are at the helm of Nepali Congress. The Nepali Congress leader made this tantalizing disclosure at an interaction with the media in Biratnagar on November 12, 2012. “In the manner hidden international forces are influencing Nepali Congress, the party will have to finally bear great loss,” she said. She also claimed that it is the foreign influence in her party that is impeding the politics of consensus in the country. She adds, “Under the foreign influence the Nepali Congress should not linger the national deadlock.” “There is no possibility of consensus. The country is being intentionally dragged towards becoming a failed state. It is the duty of the president (of her party) to save the country”, Sujata suggested her own party President. (Source: Telegraphnepal.com)

Chairman of the CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal told his cadres in Bhaktapur on November 13, 2012, that the Unified Maoists Party had become the largest party in the dead CA by threatening the people and rigging the elections. “The Unified Maoists Party took the Constituent Assembly and Constitution as a tool to capture the state,” he said and added, “Their decision to unilaterally dissolve the Constituent Assembly was made with the motive to capture the state.” “They are left with no agenda than to give continuity of Baburam government,” also claimed Khanal. (Source: Telegraphnepal.com).

The political leader of the Jhalanath Khanal stature has failed to understand the democratic process of elections and the constitution to use for taking power. Any political part including the party of Mr. Khanal would use any possible means to win the elections. So, if Mr. Khanal were sure that the Maoists had done something going against the elections rules Mr. Khanal should have protested against such things at that time instead of waiting for the results of the elections and then finding the results going against his party, and blaming another party for the failure of his party winning the majority in the elections. What a shame on such a leader?

Speaking to the cadres of the All Nepal Women's Association-Revolutionary at his Lazimpat residence on November 13, 2012, Chairman of the UCPN-Maoist Prachanda said that despite his party being flexible at maximum for breaking the current political deadlock, the opposition had not cooperated with the government on the budget for the FY 2012 so far, as they wanted nothing but the power. “Budget is urgent for the country and people, so should not be obstructed, and if obstructed, that is treason,” said Prachanda. (Source: RSS/thehimalayantimes.com, November 14, 2012)

Senior leader of the CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal opined that the time has come for the head of the state to play a significant role in toppling the incumbent government. As opposition parties are intensifying agitations and protests against the government, the President also should play a role now, said the former Prime Minister Nepal while speaking to a Deusi-Bhailo group of the Reporters Club members at his residence on Tuesday, November 13, 2012. Until the Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai steps down, there would be no consensus, said Mr. Nepal. (Source: THT ONLINE, November 15, 2012).

Mr. Madhav Nepal could not do anything by himself so he needed help from the head of state to remove the prime minister. Thereafter, most probably, he would apply for the position of prime minister to the head of state as he did to the then King Gyanendra or to the president of NC Sushil Koirala as he did to the then president of NC Girija Prasad Koirala in 2009. The then king did not entertained his application for the position of prime minister but the president of NC Girija Prasad Koirala made him a prime minister in 2009 for more than two years on the condition of the daughter (Sujata Koirala) of Girija Koirala would be made the deputy prime minister.

Speaking at an interaction event held by the Joint Trade Union Coordination Committee on Resolution of Political Impasse and Trade Union Rights, Chairman of UCPN-Maoist Prachanda said that his party had offered the NC the Home Ministry, the CPN-UML the Finance Ministry and the UDMF the Defense ministry as the part of a power-sharing deal but the NC and the CPN-UML refused to join the Baburam Bhattarai-led government. "Since there has already been a verbal agreement among parties to go for a fresh election, I have asked to transform the current government into a national consensus government. I proposed to go for other alternative only if there was no consensus on this option even during our negotiation on Monday," he said. (Source: myrepublica.com, November 13, 2012) 

Speaking at a greetings-exchange event held by the NC Bhaktapur District Committee in Bhaktapur on Wednesday, November 14, 2012, President of the NC Sushil Koirala has said the resignation of the prime Minister is the precondition for building a political consensus. He has said that Prime Minister Dr. Bhattarai has been working against the Constitution; the government should be free from totalitarian mentality. He claimed that the agitation declared by the opposition parties would bring the Prime Minister down if he would not tender his resignation. (Source: RSS/thehimalayantimes.com, November 14, 2012).

Mr. Sushil Koirala has ordered the 78 former lawmakers belonging to his party to shut up when they demanded to resuscitate the dissolved CA. Is such a behavior of the president of the so-called democratic party totalitarian mindset or not? However, Mr. Koirala pretends to be a democrat going against any sorts of democratic principles and values. Could such a president of NC make the street protest a success to tear down the democratically elected government?

At the time when the opposition parties have intensified their efforts on toppling the government for the formation of a national unity government, Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai on Saturday, November 17, 2012 said that the current government should be transformed into a national consensus government for holding elections to a new CA in April 2013. Talking to the journalists representing the Revolutionary Journalists' Association of Kathmandu and Lalitpur at his official residence in Baluwatar, Prime Minister Dr. Bhattarai said that the leaders of the opposition coalition of the NC and the CPN-UML should join his government to transform it into a national consensus government. However, the opposition leaders have been labeling the Bhattarai-led government as illegitimate; so, they have been trying to dislodge it through the street protests. (Source: THT ONLINE, November 17, 2012)

The opposition coalition of the NC and the CPN-UML held an interaction with the civil society leaders to sound out whether they were willing to support the street protests the opposition coalition was launching. The interaction was held at the headquarters of the NC at Sanepa in Kathmandu on November 17, 2012. Civil Society leaders told the opposition coalition leaders to make a clear roadmap to a unity government before launching street protests if the opposition coalition wants the support of the civil society for its street protests. (Source: thehimalayantimes.com, November 17, 2012

Leaders of the opposition coalition have applauded the president setting a deadline for reaching a package deal on the budget, the formation of a new government and elections to a new CA by November 22. "A new government based on consensus is the bottom line of the UML, Nepali Congress and other opposition parties. No consensus is going to evolve without this government's exit," Chairman of CPN-UML said while speaking at the event held at the CPN-UML headquarters, Balkhu, on November 19, 2012. Opposition parties have not intensified their anti-government protests for the sake of consensus, but they are prepared to create a "storm of protest" if the ruling coalition refuses to make way for a unity government, Khanal said. Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai said that President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav has not set any deadline for reaching a political consensus on major issues including the budget and elections. However, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bijay Kumar Gacchedar told the reporters after the meeting that the President asked the parties for reaching a consensus on all key issues by November 22. The President is learnt to have further told the leaders that he would formally call on all parties to form a national consensus government with a timeline following the Interim Constitution if they failed to reach a consensus by Nov 22. (Source: nepalnews.com, and THT ONLINE, November 19, 2012)

Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai said that the government would bring full budget at any cost by considering the needs of the country and people. "The government will unveil the budget in view of national needs. Preparations to this end are underway. The irresponsible act of the opponents is totally against the national interests," Dr Bhattarai added. Receiving a memorandum presented by Revolutionary Journalists' Association central working committee on Monday, November 19, 2012, the Prime Minister said, "If somebody is thinking of meeting one's petty interests by troubling the government after stopping the budget then that is a totally wrong idea and such practice will not benefit people in any way." The Prime Minister also said that at a meeting of three major political parties and the UDMF, the President has vowed not to go beyond the constitutional boundary. The Prime Minister urged the journalists to play a crucial role in institutionalizing the achievements of the People's War and People's. Republic, federalism, secularism, inclusion and others are some crucial achievements of the people's war and people's movement achieved by heavy struggle, and establishing them firmly is our responsibility, the Prime Minister said. (Source: RSS/thehimalayantimes.com, November 19, 2012)

November 21, 2012