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VOL. 03, NO. 03, July 01, 2009 (Ashadh 17 2066)
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Raid Signals
The agenda of storming into Singh Durbar with a national government takes precedence over the customary “nationalistic” rhetoric
By SUSHIL SHARMA
Soon after reports of scathing comments at the Maoist politburo meeting on recent reports of border encroachment, two of Prachanda’s top guns got calls from two senior Kathmandu-based diplomats of a powerful mission for an urgent meeting.
A week later, the much-publicized Maoist politburo meeting ended, without the customary “nationalistic” rhetoric.
The focus was more on a “national” government.
Chairman Prachanda thundered, “We will soon lead a joint national government.”
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| Prachanda with NC and UML Leaders: Selling Idea |
According to him, it’s only a matter of weeks. “The present government is a water-bubble that will burst in no time.”
He did not explain the reasons behind his new-found confidence. Interestingly, it came a month after “the foreign masters engineered his ouster from the seat of power.”
As he predicted a national government, Prachanda was conspicuously low-key in repeating the “foreign master” allegations.
The former rebels have also been less than forthcoming in expressing the camaraderie with their Indian revolutionary counterparts, dubbed terrorists by the Indian government.
Clearly, the "anti-terrorist" security operation in the West Bengal village of Lalgarh has sent red herrings across the Nepalese Maoist citadel.
Sources say, Prachanda is under tremendous pressure to rein in his “hardliner” comrades if he wants to have another go at Singh Durbar.
At the politburo, he fell short of the target. He could not get the idea of “national government” Okayed.
All he secured was a unanimous decision to take the idea to the much larger body – the central committee.
A Maoist-led joint national government is, therefore, a distant reality, if at all.
But if Prachanda does succeed in sidelining the likes of Mohan Baidya, C.P. Gajurel and Netra Bikram Chand, he may not be far from the target.
Double-speak is what he should stop to regain the trust of the influential power centers, said a source close to one of such centers.
Prachanda did partly succeed in the politburo meeting. He made it sure that the “nationalistic” rhetoric on border encroachment got a back seat whereas keeping the “national” government agenda in the driver’s seat
