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VOL. 28, NO. 23, March 06, 2009 (Falgun 23 2065) |
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CPN-UML CONVENTION
Divided They Stand
With the election of Jhalnath Khanal as the first executive party president of CPN-UML by Eighth Party Congress, the new phase of political course begins in the communist politics. Although there is a marginal difference between two rivals of CPN-UML, Jhalnath Khanal and K.P. Sharma Oli, who lost the election by a margin of 117 votes, on the issues of the present government and overall party policy, many projected the election of Khanal as a first test in favor of Maoist-led coalition government. Of course, Khanal’s victory may bring slight change in party’s internal power sharing but his election cannot guarantee long life to Maoist-led coalition government. The challenge for the CPN-UML, which has been facing a major crisis for survival as a communist party following the rise of CPN-Maoist, is how to retain its hardcore communist members and thwart the efforts of Maoists to weaken it. Although the party’s rank and file is divided following the election, CPN-UML leaders declared that they will stand together to bring back CPN-UML to its past glory
By KESHAB POUDEL
“After victory of Jhalnath Khanal as the party president, it opened a possibility for a long term alliance with CPN-UML,” thundered Mohan Baidya Kiran, a senior Maoist leader. “There is every possibility of unification between CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist to establish the strongest communist party in Nepal.”
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| UML Leaders |
Mohan Baidya is not alone in CPN-Maoist to welcome the victory of Khanal. For majority of Maoist sympathizers the win of Khanal as UML president symbolized the guarantee of the life of Maoist-led government.
“By voting revolutionary leader like Khanal, CPN-UML workers rebuffed reactionary and regressive forces who were plotting to do a counter revolution,” said Narayan Kazi Shrestha, CPN-Maoist United leader. ‘This government is stronger now than it was before.”
Just less than a week after the election, the five ruling party leaders jointly issued a statement endorsing Nepal Army’s recent recruitment of soldiers with some cautious criticism. From the very beginning, CPN-UML leaders were defending Nepal Army on the row over recruitment criticizing Maoist leader and Defense Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal’s view. CPN-UML under Khanal’s leadership proved that he will stand with other leaders of his party.
This, too, indicated that Khanal’s elections will have a very little impact upon CPN-UML’s overall policy.
Alliances of Past
Nepal ’s past experiences have shown that ideology is not a major factor in forging alliance. Factors other than ideological proximity have been decisive. If ideology was a major factor for unity, Nepali Congress nominee Dr. Rambaran Yadav and MJF nominee Parmananda Jha would not have been elected as president and vice president, respectively, by the constituent assembly, which has more than 60 percent of the members belonging to six different communist parties -with CPN-Maoist and CPN-UML as largest and third largest parties, respectively.
Along with United CPN-Maoist, CPN-UML and CPN-ML, there are four other communist parties such as Nepal Peasants and Workers Party, Nepal Communist Party (United), National People’s Front and Nepal Communist Party Unified.
Government’s Stability
Even if K.P. Sharma Oli had been elected the president of UML, the future of this coalition government would not have been shaken at this juncture. Even Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala, who till a month ago was issuing a threat to pull down this government within five months, is now speaking the language of reconciliation.
Senior Congress leader Sushi Koirala backed the government, saying, “There need a broader national consensus at this juncture to proclaim the new constitution for federal, republic Nepal.”
When Girija Prasad Koirala was prime minister in 2001, all the extreme communists, moderate communists and extreme rightists were together to oppose Koirala’s government in parliament stalling the House of Representatives for 61 days. Similarly, Nepali Congress - which criticized the Maoist as a forced created by Palace to destroy Parliamentary system- join with Maoist to demolish monarchy.
Similarly, all extreme communists, moderate communists and regional based rightist parties chose Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala as a supreme leader to wage the struggle against king Gyanendra’s regime and abolish the monarchy. Koirala led the coalition government containing all kinds of red outfits for about two years. CPN-Maoist even declared Koirala as their leader.
Bamdev Gautam, known as a revolutionary leader of CPN-UML, agreed to become deputy prime minister in a government led by hardcore rightist Panchayati leader Lokendra Bahadur Chand in 1998.
Though they have personal differences over their functioning style, Khanal and Oli were together supporting all such major decisions.
Looking at the history of Nepal’s politics and the level of decisive power the political leaders exercise, one can draw the conclusion that every alliance is possible in Nepali politics.
All these indicate that the Maoist-led government will last for some time to come.
UML’s Internal Dynamics
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| OLI : Tea Time |
Although former general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal reportedly sided with K.P. Sharma Oli, during the last minute of the contest, he suddenly remained neutral. “I was cornered within the party by my colleagues,” said K.P. Sharma Oli after his defeat in the election. “I contested the election to test my own popularity not to get support of any leader,” Oli said responding to a query regarding the role of Nepal in the election.
Nepal ’s last minute decision to remain neutral in the party elections helped Khanal to secure more vote.
Although they split the party in 1998 on the issue of Mahakali Treaty, all those siding with the splinter group CPN-ML have hence been rewarded along with Bamdev Gautam in the cabinet. Deputy prime minister Gautam and Ashok Rai won the election of vice president and Bishnu Poudel won the election of secretary.
Organizing the huge political gathering in Butwal, 400 kilometer south west of capital, CPN-UML has shown that it is still a power to reckon with and can challenge the strength of CPN Unified Maoist. Although the area is known as a hot bed of plain-based violent political outfits, the whole five day convention was peaceful and ran without any disturbance.
“The message of Butwal Eighth Convention is that there is a need for unity among all the leaders in the party. We are leaving all our differences in Butwal taking the spirit to rejuvenate the party’s organization,” said Khanal after the completion of voting. Despite some controversy over the revelation of some fraud votes, nobody challenged Khanal.
The victory of Ishwor Pokharel as general secretary is also significant in the party. Pokharel was imprisoned just after royal take over in February 2006, for three months. Known as a political manipulator, Pokharel will play a crucial role in internal political dimension of the party.
After completing this eight convention, CPN-UML is now considering itself as the mainstream communist party. “The time has now come for us to say just Nepal Communist Party. As we are largest communist party, there is no need to qualify us as Unified Marxist and Leninist,” said Khanal.
Split in Communists
One of the basic characters of Nepal’s communist parties is that they often split over minor ideological issues but forge alliance with anyone sacrificing all its ideology.
There is alliance now between Maoist and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, which was accused by Maoists for Gaur carnage in 2007 when more than three dozen Maoist cadres were killed.
The communist party, which secured 4 seats and 7 percent popular votes in the 1959 general elections, became second largest party after the election of 1991 held in the wake of People’s Movement I. CPN-UML even formed the first minority government in 1995 for nine months.
After the People’s Movement of 2006, another communist Party CPN-Maoist was able to perform better than its predecessors becoming the largest party in the parliament and leading the government.
Originated under the banner of Jhapali communists with the history of killing of land lords in 1972, the CPN-UML took more than 36 years to transform itself as a large mass-based political outfit next to oldest democratic party Nepali Congress.
CPN-ML had a distinct and separate identity as a Naxalites group totally rejecting peaceful parliamentary means. The Jhapali group was led by CP Mainali, K.P. Sharma Oli, Radha Krishna Mainali, Mahesh Chandra Adhikary.
CPN-ML was renamed as CPN-UML after unification with Manmohan Adhikary’s Nepal Communist Party Marxist in 1990 under the leadership of Madan Bhandari.
In early days, CPN-ML leaders went in action by chopping off heads of ‘class enemies.’ From May 1971 till August 1973, they killed eight ‘landlords’ and seven of their cadres were killed in police encounter. Despite setback, the CPN-ML reorganized in 1974. CP Mainali led the party till 1982.
Although CPN-ML has seen many ups and downs including the suspension of C.P Manali from the party membership, it is able to maintain the unity and remained intact as a strong political party. Although the party split in 1998 following a major dispute over the Mahakali Treaty - with Bamdev Gautam walking away to float CPN-ML - it united again in 2002.
After the death of Madan Bhandari in a mysterious car accident in 1994, Madhav Nepal was elected as general secretary. He was general secretary for 14 years. After the debacle in the last election of CA, Nepal resigned and Khanal became the general secretary.
After the completion of eighth convention recently in Butwal, except K.P. Sharma Oli, there are no leaders from the original Jhapali group in the top party slot since all the leaders associated with Jhapali Naxalite movement have deserted the party. CP Mainali has his own party and Radha Krishna Mainali joined king’s cabinet and is now said to be close to Maoist leader Prachanda. Mohan Chandra Adhikary became a religious follower.
Founded in 1949 in Calcutta India, Nepal Communist Party started to split in various group since 1962. There are more than a dozen of splinter communist parties in Nepal now.
Rise of JN Khanal
Although he appeared in public in mysterious circumstances after 1990’s successful Jana Andolan, JN Khanal has had long association with CPN-ML. Khanal replaced C.P. Mainali as the ML general secretary though he was not among the hardcore leaders at that time. His name was not linked with any publicly noticeable political event. However, his tenure as general secretary of the party for more than 6 years (November 1982-July 1989) was remarkable in minimizing internal disputes in the party’s policy, programs, strategy and ideology. The two other leaders Punya Sharma and Lila Katyal are now nowhere in the party politics.
Madan Bhandari replaced Khanal as a general secretary in ML’s Fourth Convention held in Mathura, India..
In the elections of August 1989, Khanal was defeated by another lesser known communist leader Madan Bhandari.
Two decades later, Khanal again reemerged as party general secretary when CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned following an election debacle.
In his first tenure as a general secretary, Khanal took the control of the party by pushing CP Mainali and now he defeated another leader of Naxal movement to become first executive president of the party.
At a time when the CPN-UML is in very difficult situation competing with another revolutionary party CPN-Unified Maoist for its position, Jhalnath Khanal is elected as an executive president.
Khanal is going to be the second leader to lead the party for longest period of time after former general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal.
