The frustration of being out of power and angst of defeat in the last CA have seeped into Nepal’s grand old party
DIWAKAR CHETTRI
About 1,000 Nepali Congress leaders gathered at Triveni of Nawalparasi this week to chart out the party’s vision and mission for the upcoming CA elections. The Mahasamiti meeting was expected to clarify the NC’s political position for which the party has been criticised from within and without.
Two days of meetings later, expectations turned into frustration and discontent as the leaders headed home. Things didn’t get off to an auspicious start because a religious guru reportedly criticised secularism and hinted that the party should try to revert the country back to a Hindu state.
“We were hoping that the party would take a progressive stance on issues of federalism, inclusion, and the Madhes, instead we got whiff of a dangerous conspiracy against fundamental achievements of the People’s Movement,” NC leader Indrajit Gurung told me over phone as he prepared to board a bus back from Nawalparasi on Wednesday.
The political document presented by Ram Chandra Poudel failed to impress Mahasamiti members, particularly those from Janajati and Madhesi background, who criticised it for failing to offer a clear position on federalism and identity.
“We have consistently maintained that federal states must be multi-ethnic with no front rights, but each ethnic identity must be recognised with rights to cultural (not political) self-determination,” Gurung explained. “So to create confusion and say that Janajatis are trying to upset communal harmony by asking for ethnic states is nothing but a lie.”
The strong rebuff from Janajati and Madhesi leaders has once again exposed the democratic deficit inside the oldest party which claims to be the bastion of Nepali democracy. The leadership, primarily consisting of elderly Brahmin men, will be increasingly under pressure to address the grievances of the marginalised within the party.
The disgruntled members have given the heads a week to clarify the party’s position on federalism and identity and warned that ignoring the voice of the marginalised could cost the NC dearly in elections.
Leaders like Gurung may still be hopeful that their concerns will be addressed, but they have no illusions about exclusive coterie politics that plagues the party.
Madhesi members who spoke at the meeting also expressed their displeasure over the proposed Madhes pradesh in the document. They said they did not support the single Madhes demand, but they were equally critical of Poudel’s proposal of carving out north-south states.
The frustration of being out of power for over a decade and angst of defeat in the last CA elections have seeped into the old party as it looks to improve its performance in the upcoming polls. Like the Maoists, the NC also hopes to tap into dipping popularity of Madhes-based parties and reclaim its original position in the Tarai.
But despite their tainted record in office, Madhes-based parties still champion all the necessary agenda to rally voters while the NC has failed to impress even party loyalists.
After the demise of Girija Prasad Koirala, the NC suffered a leadership crisis with a coterie of old men holding the party hostage to their personal ambitions. These men have neither commitment nor vision to lead a party that can negotiate the constitution-drafting process.
The NC’s wish of securing popular support to become the biggest force in the next election will remain a dream unless the elders make way for younger visionary leaders who can show both flexibility and commitment to democratic norms.