Nepali Times
ANURAG ACHARYA
By The Way
Taking care of the caretaker


ANURAG ACHARYA


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The stone-throwing at the airport as Prime Minister Bhattarai departed for and arrived from Rio de Janeiro could point to more serious protests unless Bhattarai reverts back to engaging the opposition. The confrontation, however, may not just be on the streets but also within his own party.

After a month of deadlock following the CA dissolution, the parties were willing to negotiate, but Bhattarai's statement that he would not quit before another election not only irked the opposition but also left his chairman red faced. For now, the party has decided to put the matter to rest but it is no secret that Pushpa Kamal Dahal is getting restive about Bhattarai's growing national and international stature hindering his own ambitions.

Smelling blood, the opposition NC, UML and other assorted parties could be tempted to launch a decisive street protest to bring down the Bhattarai-led coalition that has been weakened by a vertical split in the Maoist party. But the coalition feels it cannot be ousted legitimately in the aftermath of the CA dissolution.

Interestingly, both the dissident Maoists and the opposition have been using op-eds in the mainstream media to label Bhattarai as the next 'Jung Bahadur', so the prime minister must be careful not to let his political stance be misconstrued as arrogance and despotism. He can rest assure that Dahal will not rock the boat for now, he can't afford to.

For their part, the NC and UML who are now campaigning to bring down the government must realise that it was their own lack of vision and irresponsibility that dragged the country into a void from where there is no democratic alternative without holding elections. Besides, the article 38 (1) of the interim constitution that they have been citing does not make a case, as the present government was formed under 38 (2).

Prithvi Subba Gurung of the UML says the opposition including his own party has been behaving irresponsibly by asking the government to resign without offering any alternative. "In what capacity will Ram Chandra Poudel or KP Oli for that matter lead the government?" asks Gurung.

He believes the only option is to either hold new elections or reinstate the old CA for a certain period to pass the constitution. Gurung maintains there is no way the NC and UML can mobilise the people, because the Madhesis, Janajatis and Dalits who represent three-fourths of the country's population are sceptical about their stance on federalism.

Sadbhavana Party leader Laxmanlal Karna of the Madhesi Front agrees that in the absence of a legislature, parties must either go for CA elections scheduled in November by giving the present government a national shape under Bhattarai's leadership or reinstate the CA, which will pass the constitution and form an interim government to hold parliamentary elections.

The dissolution of the legislature has taken away the numerical backing of the Madhesi, Dalit and Janajati leaders for the government, but the strength of the constituency they represent in the streets is still untested. President Ram Baran Yadav, who has so far played his cards close to his chest is under pressure from the opposition to play an active role in ending the deadlock. But Yadav knows this will put his office on a collision course with the government which could set a bad precedence and invite further instability.

The president's political adviser, Rajendra Dahal, told me last week there is no constitutional basis for the president to intervene in executive matters, and the most he can do is appeal to the parties to forge a consensus which he has done on more than one occasion.

For the first time in the history of this nation, an elected assembly had given the Madhesis, Janajatis and Dalits direct access to state power from where they could rewrite their political destiny. But now that the house has been dissolved, the current coalition seems to be in no particular hurry to yield power.

Constitutionally, the government has the mandate to hold elections and cannot be challenged until then. But for the
sake of stability, and to show statesmanship, Bhattarai should begin serious negotiations on forming a government of national unity. Like nature, nations also abhor a vacuum.



1. ushaft
Because of the unprecedented hope and jubilation in people immediately after Baburam ascended to PM'ship, I had thought that people like BRB is what we (Nepali people) deserve after all, for our stupidity and the lack of political judgement.

Luckily, much of that jubilation has died down. After all, an inherently bad person cannot do good politics forever- sooner or later, like the proud peacock, he'd show all his colors.

But even after all this, if we continue to think like Anurag has expressed above, I think we are not ready to learn any lesson at all. We deserve to be driven to the brink and thrown off the cliff to hell. I hope BRB does it soon enough and opposition parties let him stay in power for some more time. At least they should let him stay in power as long as we people do not learn the lessons.


2. Soni
#ushaft - I believe that people have learnt their lesson (only those who needed to), the anger out there is palpable, the problem is that they don't know how to express their anger. I don't know how to express my anger.

These people have bought some trained propagandists and I would the blog about ungovernability of Nepal by K. Dixit. That is a lie, but how do I or anybody else refute that lie by approaching the problem from a criminal outfit's and its propaganda departments point of view.

Secondly, to what cause do you rally. Under the constantly bickering NC flag, UML or the comma Maoist and so on.

Thirdly, what would be the outcome? The same people would be in power again and would decide the fate of this country? Why exactly would you take the bullet from the police serving under the people who would be in power again anyway? This is what happened in 2006, did it not really?


3. who cares
one question first.

has this sub agent baje already been getting bone from agent bhatterai and their foreign master or he is still working on for to be on their pay roll?



let me clear to all agents, when constitution/law is silent, the only way out is concession. 


i too hope that agent bhatterai would go for dictatorship.

 

i dont think people would come to street just cause NC/UML beg them to. 

only action of agent bhatterai can bring people into the street.

there is one easy way, but need guts- which clearly they dont have, to make agent bhatterai surrender is threaten agent bhatterai and agent puspa of opening their account of their atrocity, terror on people during so called people's war, their corruption during their time in govt., their abuse of power etc. drag them to international court of justice.


agent bhatterai should be sent to closed prison for committing treason by announcing CA election when it was still alive. 




agent bhatterai killed 18k in the name of fighting indian, but today he himself is the second biggest agent of india after madeshi.... he should face what he did to his victims- the teacher whom they hung. 



4. ushaft
#2, Soni:
Agree with you. I hope that BRB is ousted through a farmers' revolt. He should be reminded (since he doesn't seem to acknowledge) the extent of damage, disrepute and backwardness he has given to this country. I hope the fertilizer-scarcity compels the "proletariat" to overthrow the "bourgeois." Who knows, the Baidhya faction might lead this revolution of sorts against the dictator.

"To what cause do you rally": This is a very difficult question. We can discuss. Please let me know if you're interested.


5. Soni
#4, Unfortunately, I am a royalist and I support the 1990 constitution. I am convinced that I am right. Unfortunately, I am also convinced that discussing the issue is simply pointless and meaningless and a mere invitation to abuse. Just as some will follow one way or another.

LATEST ISSUE
638
(11 JAN 2013 - 17 JAN 2013)


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