In Nepal, the history of communist unity has been short-lived. Nepali political history shows that communist parties have rarely been able to remain united. Since the founding of the Communist Party of Nepal, the movement has been marked by repeated splits and factionalism.
In the past, efforts were made to unify the country’s two major communist parties—the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre). However, the experiment eventually collapsed as the top leaders became embroiled in disputes over power-sharing.
During the March 5 elections, not only the communist parties but also all the traditional political parties suffered a humiliating defeat following the emergence of the RSP, which secured an almost two-thirds majority. The new party not only formed the government but also directed the concerned investigative agencies to reopen files related to major corruption scandals. One after another, prominent political figures began to be arrested on corruption charges.
Former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, Arzu Rana, have reportedly been unable to return to Kathmandu from Hong Kong after arrest warrants were issued against them. Former finance minister Bishnu Poudel is under judicial custody on charges of corruption and money laundering. He is under investigation after being suspected on his involvement with Deepak Bhatt in an alleged policy corruption case.
Following Poudel’s arrest, communist leaders who have been linked to various scandals are now reportedly attempting to forge a united front, apparently in an effort to shield themselves from corruption investigations and conceal their alleged ties with influential brokers. Some political observers argue that such an attempt runs contrary to the historical character of Nepal’s communist movement. They contend that the effort resembles trying to piece together a fragile pot that has already been shattered.
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