Nepal's Maoists always said they were following Mao Zedong by the book. Now, it looks like they are even trying to copy the Cultural Revolution.

Two senior Central Committee members, Rabindra Shrestha and Mani Thapa (Anukul) on Wednesday came out with an unprecedented and scathing criticism of the mainstream party and formed what they call a 'New Cultural Revolution' faction. In an email to selected media, they complained of nepotism and lack of revolutionary vigour in the leadership of Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai.

On Thursday, Prachanda fired back an equally scathing counter-salvo which clarified that the party had recently asked the two central committee members to present their grievances through proper channels. "But they have decided to turn into traitors and counterrevolutionaries and join the autocratic monarchy, so the party has expelled them," Prachanda writes.

In a statement titled 'An Appeal for Public Debate' the two dissidents called for a public self-criticism by the party leadership. They accused the two leaders of showing pro-royalist behaviour and singled out Prachanda for saying in an interview that he would accept the verdict of a future constituent assembly election if it went in favour of the monarchy.

Ironically, both the dissidents as well as Prachanda are now calling each other royalists. In his vitriolic rejoinder, Prachanda accused Rabindra of being unreliable, splittist and of having received reports that he had indulged in suspicious anti-party behaviour while in custody. Prachanda termed it curious that Rabindra and Anukul should come out with their appeal a day after Home Minister Kamal Thapa announced amnesty to all Maoists who surrendered and also to offer big rewards if they also brought weapons with them. It is not clear if Rabindra and Anukul has any more supporters in the party ranks.

Rabindra for his part is scathing about Prachanda protecting his son from frontline duty, and also accuses Baburam Bhattarai of providing his daughter with "bourgeoise" education instead of sending her to the 'People's Liberation Army'. He accuses the two leaders for staying abroad for most of the ten years of the 'people's war'. The statement also calls upon the young cadre of the political parties to break away from their leaders and join the new front.

The washing of Maoist dirty linen in public comes as the rebels take their insurgency into a "decisive and final" phase by attacking the cities. As a part of that campaign, they launched a blockade of towns across Nepal from Tuesday, with most highways in the country deserted. Army helicopters provided aerial escorts for some convoys coming into Kathmandu Valley, but the traffic was much below normal levels. The Maoist strategy appears to be to keep the army distracted by forcing them to guard the highways while slipping into the Valley through forested passes.