By Our Reporter
In less than two months after the formation of the present coalition government under Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ of the CPN (Maoist), a rift has been widening among the ruling parties.
Prachanda was appointed Prime Minister on December 25 after the CPN (UML) and the Maoist Centre forged a new alliance by breaking the previous ones. Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janamat Party, Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal and Jana Unmukti Party are other coalition parties. But RSP had already quitted the party while JSP-N and Jana Unmukti Party are yet to join the government.
After NC gave a vote of confidence to the government and the Prime Minister started floating the idea of a consensus candidate for the post of the President, CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli has become suspicious of the PM because the two parties had divided three key posts—PM to Maoist Centre and President and Speaker to the UML on December 25.
Not only that PM Prachanda decided to have a consensus candidate for the post of President from the central committee meeting of the party. Meanwhile, Nepali Congress and the Maoist Centre have become closer to the quality of the President.
As Prime Minister Prachanda had had bitter experiences with past presidents, he wants a comfortable man in the top post.
Again when he fears that KP Oli can deceive him at any time leading to the fall of his government, he is seeking NC’s support. As such, it looks likely that PM Prachanda will stand with NC in the presidential election so that he could serve five years as PM playing with the enmity of the two big parties.
If an NC man becomes President, UML may not quit the government immediately because by quitting the government the UML will be losing power for five years. As such, the present coalition will continue for two and a half years. But the election of an NC man in the top post is sure to invite mistrust between the UML and the Maoist Centre, which can culminate in the breaking of the present coalition at any time.
VVIP/VIP security protocol causes problems again
The President’s convoy of Friday has been dragged into controversy after a medical doctor was beaten by the police near Trauma Centre stating that he came to the road during the convoy. This incident sparked a strike in the hospital the next day, and the government had to suspend a police constable deployed for security in the area.
On Friday, when President Bidya Devi Bhandari went to the parliament to address the joint meeting of the House of Representatives and National Assembly, the people suffered a lot because of traffic jams in Kathmandu throughout the day
In areas en route of the President’s convoy, vehicles had been stuck in traffic jams for unusually long.
At around 4:30 pm, Dr Janithlal Singh was heading home on his bicycle after completing an operation at the National Trauma Centre at Mahankal in Kathmandu. But because of the large crowd that had been confined to the pavement because of the Presidential convoy, he could not ride the bicycle and had been pushing it along on the pavement. He then got stuck.
The on-duty police officer asked him to take his cycle forward. There was no space to do so. Dr Singh said he worked at the Trauma Centre and would move as soon as the crowd dispersed.
The police officer then started assaulting him and snatched away his ID card. The doctor sustained an injury on his head. Predictably, a public uproar followed after the unprovoked attack on Dr Singh.
Police constable Sambhujang Gurung, who baton-charged Singh, was suspended on Saturday for further investigation.
This incident has once again raised the question: Does the President at all need such elaborate security arrangements?
A group of activists including doctors protested in Maitighar on Saturday demanding action against those who assaulted the doctor. The Nepal Medical Association announced a halt to services at all hospitals across the country, except for emergency care, on Sunday to protest against the police action. However, the protest was withdrawn after the government agreed to meet the demands of NMA.
People from all walks of life are putting pressure on the government to act soon to ensure the public won’t get into any further trouble from a VVIP convoy.
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