By Our Political Analyst
The current political deadlock whose seed was sown since the leaders in the ruling party started to fight against each other, is continue.
When Pushpakamal Dahal and Madhab Nepal developed a front against Prime Minister and NCP chairman K.P. Sharma Oli, the latter chose to dissolve the House of Representatives seeking a fresh people’s mandate alleging that the government was not allowed to function by his rivals in the party.
Later, a constitutional bench in the Supreme Court had restored the House of Representatives. Again, another SC verdict disqualified the formation of the NCP. The 7 March verdict scrapped the Nepal Communist Party created by merging the then CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre.
Although the Supreme Court restored the House, it has not been able to get business.
Practically, PM Oli led government is in minority, although, technically the government is functioning as the Maoist Center has not been able to register a vote of no-confidence against it.
On the other hand, Pushpakamal Fahal Prachanda, who wants to topple down the Oli led government, is unable to manage the necessary number to form an alternative government.
If the Maoist Centre withdraws its support given to the Prime Minister, Oli’s government needs to prove his majority in the parliament. And now, he is trying to woo one of the factions of the Janata Samajwadi Party in his support by agreeing to release Resham Chaudary, a lawmaker indicated in the notorious Kailali carnage in which seven police officers and a minor were brutally killed in August 2015. However, support of a faction of JSP will not ensure Oli’s survival because lawmakers from disgruntled UML could vote against the government.
While Oli is not likely to survive the no-confidence motion, the chance of forming another government looks slims until the JSP stands together.
Thus, the present deadlock is likely to continue a few weeks more.
Maoist Centre appeals against SC verdict on NCP dissolution
Chairman of the Maoist Centre Pushpa Kamal Dahal has lodged an appeal at the Supreme Court demanding a review of its 7 March verdict to revive the CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre, scrapping the erstwhile Nepal Communist Party (NCP).
Prachanda, accompanied by the party’s senior leaders, on Tuesday reached the apex court and registered the appeal asking for the review of the latter’s order to revive the two parties, CPN-UML and Maoist Centre which had merged into NCP in 2018. The apex court scrapped the NCP as its name clashed with Rishi Kattel’s Nepal Communist Party.
The appeal was registered as per the decision of the party’s central committee.
After filing the appeal, Dahal expressed his confidence that the Supreme Court would correct its decision of reviving the CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre.
“The court had taken a political decision by dividing the united parties. I’m confident that the court will correct its decision,” said Prachanda.
He remarked that the court’s decision was unusual, unnatural and political in nature. “The petition was related to the name of the party. However, the bench ordered something not even demanded by the petitioner. The petitioner also did not want the united parties to be divided.”
The SC verdict of March 7 had drawn criticism from the public and other parties but was welcomed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his loyal because it came as a big relief for him. Oli has now almost captured the CPN-UML by penalizing his opponents on the basis of the controversial verdict. Had the court not given such a verdict, Oli might have already been ousted by the NCP as well as the government.
“I have filed a review petition in the presence of senior party leaders and legal practitioners. The court’s verdicts have been reviewed in the past. But we are hopeful that the court will revise and nullify the verdict,” said Dahal.
Standing Committee of the CPN (MC), including Naryan Kaji Shrestha, Barshaman Pun, Janardan Sharma and Giriraj Mani Pokharel reached the apex court to register the petition.
Dialogues with Tharuhat groups begin to save government
In a bid to save the government, talks between the Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa-led government team and Tharuhat-Tharuwan Joint Struggle Committee (TTJSC) has begun as demanded by a faction of the Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal.
The JSP-N has been demanding the release of Resham Chadhary, the leaders responsible for the killing of seven police officers in Kaillai in August 2015.
The first round of the talks at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singha Durbar began on Tuesday. But the meeting failed to reach a conclusion.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s foreign affairs advisor Dr Rajan Bhattarai, who is also a member of the team, informed that the maiden meeting between the two sides ended on a positive note.
Dr Bhattarai said that the Committee’s genuine demands would be addressed in accordance with the law and Constitution.
The government formed a three-member talks team on Monday in an effort to address the demands of the Tharuhat movement. The team also includes former parliamentarian Rukmini Chaudhary.
Similarly, the TTJSC had formed a 5-member team on Tuesday morning under the chairmanship of Dhaniram Chaudhary of TWA to hold the talks.
TWA, TTJSC and Central Movement Mobilisation Committee had staged a sit-in at Maitighar, Kathmandu forwarding 19-point demands including the release of Resham Chaudhary, a lawmaker, who has been behind bars since the court’s verdict on the Tikapur carnage, which happened on August 24, 2015. He, along with seven other individuals, was convicted of murdering seven police personnel and a minor there.
Division in UML looks likely soon
Maintaining unity in the ruling CPN-UML now looks impossible after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli suspended senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and Bhim Rawal on Monday.
Oli on Monday sent letters to the two leaders informing them that they were suspended from party membership for six months.
Although Nepal and Rawal outright rejected the suspension and decided to continue their struggle remaining within the party, it may not be easy for Nepal faction leaders to remain in the UML for a longer time if Oli suspends more leaders.
Nepal and Rawal termed their suspension revengeful, arbitrary and against the party statute.
A meeting of the standing committee members close to leader Nepal on Tuesday decided that their suspension was against the party statute. Both Nepal and Rawal said they outright rejected the suspension.
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