- Has the RSP Betrayed Its Base?
- What Next for the NC & RPP?
By Shashi P.B.B. Malla
Pushpa Kamal Dahal-Prachanda considers himself the’mastermind’ of Nepali politics.
Long before the terrible palace massacre, he had schemed together with his No. 2 Baburam Bhattarai with the Indian establishment to abolish Constitutional Monarchy and the Hindu State as such.
Already then he had no scruples to become a pawn of the Indian establishment and extinguish the Shah monarchy which had the unique role of founding the modern Nepali state and had become the symbol of Nepal’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Together with his collaborators from the other mainstream political parties, including the Nepali Congress, he succeeded in his goal.
In fact, it was the mainstream political parties which made the Maoists part of the mainstream.
And this in spite of the atrocious death and destruction left in the wake of the decade-long infamous and so-called People’s War.
Here we had self-styled revolutionaries and nationalists who were funded and trained by India attempting to overthrow the legitimate government and order of an independent state. It was gross interference by India in the internal affairs of a neighbouring country – but by its proxy.
The Maoists were nothing more and nothing less than the traitorous arm of India’s notorious RAW – the external intelligence agency.
The Maoists were trained to be treacherous and deceitful and were quislings – all set to sell off the country. They were like Kazi Lhendup Dorji of Sikkim who had no qualms in crushing the Sikkimese monarchy to personally rise in prominence and power.
Now the notorious ‘Prachanda’ is all set to rule the country for another four years. And he will attempt all kinds of schemes to remain in power.
His new Communist-dominated coalition will no doubt scrape through the vote of confidence by the skin of its teeth.
The Rashtriya Swatantra Party’s (RSP) Dubious Game
The most vexing question is the role played by the Rashtriya Swatantra Party and its chairman Rabi Lamichane, who has chosen to leave the people-oriented, democratic path and join the political radicals with no vision whatsoever.
Ultimately, they will have to answer to the people if the new coalition of nincompoops cannot get things done – and there is little hope of that with the Communists making hay while the sun shines.
The RSP’s decision to join the group of strange bedfellows can be explained perhaps according to some political/management concepts.
However, it cannot be ethically justified.
The RSP joining the government in the so-called ‘new political equation’ remains a very questionable move – self-centred, self-seeking and opportunistic – and will definitely come to haunt the party and its leaders, especially the high-profile intellectuals and academics.
What Next for the Nepali Congress & the RPP?
The next burning question is the role of the Nepali Congress and the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party.
Considering that Dahal-Prachanda has absolutely no mandate to rule the country and reflecting that the long-suffering people cannot be left to their own fate, the Nepali Congress and the RPP will be hard pressed to weigh their options.
NC-boss Sher Bahadur Deuba has to do a lot of soul-searching.
He has to finally realize that in the analogy of the old Russian fable ‘The Scorpion & the Frog’, he is the unsuspecting, betrayed frog and Dahal-Prachanda the untrustworthy scorpion.
However, if he plays his cards right, Deuba could still contribute in a positive manner to the restoration of genuine democracy or prajatantra (not loktantra). He has to be inspired by the lessons of history and recollect how prajatantra was actually introduced and a feudal, autocratic order terminated.
Dahal-Prachanda misuses and manipulates the tools of parliamentary democracy to remain in power. The gloves should now be off in dealing with him and his henchmen
Remaining as the loyal opposition for another four long years cannot and should not be part of the equation.
They cannot count on the RSP which has unfortunately joined the axis of the unprincipled Communists – they are hand in glove with the Communist front and, therefore, fully suspect.
Since there is little hope that this new coalition will undertake any people-oriented ameliorating measures any time soon, the RPP, at least, must keep its project of ejecting the Communist-dominated government alive at all costs.
It is a mirage that the Communist-dominated government has the full support of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the clandestine backing of the Indian establishment. It is all honcho- and party centred and not to the benefit of the Nepalese people and the state.
Without an independent and sovereign head of state, the country is certainly going to the dogs!
The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.com
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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