Baidhya-Bhattarai camp flexes muscles

Hold marathon meetings to divest Dahal of power

TIKA R PRADHAN

"The chairman could think about relinquishing PP leadership only if the leaders could forge agreement on the party's tactical line and create an environment of confidence"

KATHMANDU: It was an eventful day today for the leaders of the Unified CPN-Maoist, as they busied themselves in bi- and multi-lateral meetings at different locations in the Valley on the eve of a historic Central Committee meeting slated to begin tomorrow.

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A senior Maoist leader said the CC meeting will be the second Chunbang meeting, but with a twist.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had stood victorious in the October 2005 Chunbang meeting with all the power concentrated in him, but this time around, it seems, the CC meeting will force Dahal to shed the power and distribute it among the top leaders.

Sources claimed that leaders in today's meetings decided to present a work division proposal before the CC starts discussions on the political proposal to be presented by Dahal and boycott the CC meeting if Dahal does not accept the proposal.

Dahal, who has already been driven to despair, has ample ground to be suspicious, as General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa, who has been maintaining neutrality, showed up at one of the meetings of the alliance forged by Vice-chairmen duo Mohan Baidhya and Baburam Bhattarai. Thapa has been promised leadership of party's military department, which is currently under Dahal's domain with standing committee member Barshaman Pun enjoying the responsibility of military in-charge.

It has been learnt that Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha too has distanced himself from Dahal after the chairman wanted to replace him with Bhattarai in the parliamentary party and send Shrestha to the government with a powerful ministry. Following a meeting of Dahal's coterie at Nayabazar this evening, Pun said the CC should first agree on concluding major tasks of peace process by August 31, including the preparation of the first draft of the constitution. "The chairman could think about relinquishing PP leadership only if the leaders could forge agreement on the party's tactical line and create an environment of confidence," said Pun. "For now, we can find a middle path and go for the work division."

Sources at Nayabazar claimed that the leaders and cadres throughout the country have begun denouncing the 'immoral alliance' of the two opposite lines, and therefore they have started saying thousands of martyrs had not shed their blood to see infighting among leaders for power and position.

(Published in The Himalayan Times on July 13, 2011)