UCPN-Maoist chairman in chancery

Will Dahal be able to bear up and find a way out of crisis?

TIKA R PRADHAN

KATHMANDU: It seems the trend of extending a helping hand to party chairman whenever he was in need is on the wane in the Maoist party and with infighting simmering in the party, Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been, arguably for the first time in his political career, subjected to pressure cooker situation.

“If what transpired at yesterday’s meeting is anything to go by, the party is losing the direction; the debates are leading the party to nowhere, forget resolving the burning issues,” says politburo member Haribol Gajurel, a close aide to Chairman Dahal.

Gajurel accused the top leaders of resorting to bargains for position and power and leaving out ideological debates. “They are trying to weaken the existing form of leadership in the name of collective leadership,” said Gajurel referring to a signature campaign launched by two factions led by Vice-chairmen Mohan Baidhya and Baburam Bhattarai. “Ideological debates have been put on the back burner; the signature drive has sparked unhealthy struggle.”

The Maoist party since it joined the mainstream politics has always cut an interesting figure among Nepal’s political parties, either for some of its quirks or for brewing feud among the top leaders. Now Baidhya-Bhattarai signature drive seems to have driven Dahal into a corner.

A senior leader close to Bhattarai says even Dahal’s trusted aides — another Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha and General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa — seem to have tilted towards the new-found Baidhya-Bhattarai tie-up and that this new development has added to Dahal’s worries.

“Confidence building is a must at this point of time; else the party leadership may lose its grip,” says Gajurel.

Politburo member Devendra Poudel, who is close to Bhattarai, however, says the debate in the party is heating up to hammer out whether the entire party should be synonymous with a single person.

Dahal is for finalising the issues of peace and the constitution first, whereas the Baidhya-Bhattarai camp is for resolving all the issues, including power-sharing, in a package.

The central committee meeting — that was expected to deal with party issues — two weeks ago had been put off for three days but there is no sign of one to be called. A standing committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow is expected to fix the date for CC meeting and Dahal seems to be marking time till he finds a safety valve.

(Published in The Himalayan Times on July 8, 2011)