When bombs went off before and during November’s elections, the CPN-M claimed innocence However, a month later, party Chairman Mohan Baidya brazenly admitted that his cadres were involved in these acts of violence.
But what had eight-year-old Samir Khadgi done to the CPN-M to have his arm blown off at Bhotebahal on election day? A party that claims to represent the people and continuously accuses others of selling out, deserves a total boycott for the suffering it unleashed on innocent civilians.
Looking at the past behaviour of the breakaway Maoists, it seems like they are still stuck in the insurgency era. And instead of contributing to the peace process and providing relief to those who suffered from the excesses of the decade long war, Baidya and Co are bent on pushing the country to the brink of anarchy again. The decisions made at recent party meetings are proof of this. The CPN-M says it wants to build a people’s army and cancel the 12-point agreement, moves which are completely against the flow of current politics.
Nepal neither needs an armed revolution nor is there any legitimate ground for politics of violence. The 12-point agreement signed in 2005 helped put an end to the conflict, bid farewell to the monarchy, established the first constituent assembly, and integrated the two warring armies. Although a lot has changed in these eight years, the country is still far from meeting the goals that were laid out in that document. Based on the pact, the second constituent assembly will write a new constitution and it is therefore imperative to safeguard the spirit of the accord.
At a time when we are looking to establish a federal republic democratic Nepal, there is no place for politics of violence or exclusion. It is essential that we end the transition by bringing the CPN-M back into mainstream politics. Other parties too must do everything in their power and honestly approach the dash Maoists and accommodate their grievances. However, if Baidya and his men still decide to go against the spirit of change and return to violence and anarchy, history will prove them losers. They will be wiped out as a political force and will be remembered as thugs.