By Our Reporter
Four political parties, whose popularity has significantly waned over the years, have finally announced the formation of the Socialist Front, Nepal.
Three of the parties incorporated in the new Front are in the present government while the fourth is the Communist Party of Nepal led by Netra Bikram Chand, which had been resorting to violent activities until the general elections of 2022. The Chanda-led party had boycotted the elections held last year and applied every measure to disrupt the poll but in vain.
The formation of the Front has brought Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Netra Bikram Chanda ‘Biplap’, who were together when they waged a violent war for a decade, together again. Chanda had quit the party before the second Constituent Assembly elections held in 2013.
Likewise, the CPN (Unified Socialist), the breakaway faction of the CPN-UML, has also joined the Front signalling that unification of their party with the UML is impossible for now.
More interesting is that the Madhes-based Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal led by Upendra Yadav, who was believed to be the mastermind behind the Rautahat massacre of 2007, in which scores of the Maoists were killed, is also a component of the Front. However, Yadav also comes from a communist background.
Surprisingly, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai is not included in the Front, probably because Yadav and Bamdev Gautam became closer to the UML when the preparations for announcing the Front were underway.
Addressing the jam-packed announcement ceremony at the City Hall, Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ argued that Socialist Front Nepal was established to fight against those working to sabotage and defame the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
He also said that the Front was established to accomplish the remaining task of the peace process.
He also shared that the Front was declared bearing the bitter experiences of the past in mind and referred to the failed attempts in keeping the unity of the Nepal Communist Party intact. He said that the Front is a force against regression, anarchy and totalitarianism.
However, many Pundits have argued that the formation of the Front was a tactic to remain in power by keeping the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML in size. As the very term ‘Socialism’ could deceive many people, they can exploit it during elections with a slim hope of winning the elections in future.
Maybe, after a few years, the parties included in the front could emerge as a unified party so that they can continue their presence in certain geographies of the nations. The entry of Netra Bikram Chanda and the inclusion of Upendra Yadav in the Front could be taken as a strategy of PM Dahal to expand their organisation in remote hills and the central Tarai.
Moreover, the Front could pose a threat to the CPN-UML, especially during future elections if the Front remains intact or the parties now associated with the front form a new party.
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