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VOL. 28, NO. 24, March 20, 2009 (Chaitra 07 2065) |
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“There Are People In Our Party Who Never Discard Populism” - Laxman Prasad Ghimire
Nepali Congress leader and chief whip of Nepali Congress’ Constituent Assembly LAXMAN PRASAD GHIMIRE is a well known politician. Professionally an engineer, Ghimire, who was elected as a member of House of Representative in 1991 general elections, is now elected under the proportional representation system. A former state minister of Water Resources, Ghimire spoke to KESHBA POUDEL on various issues regarding the political situation and other matters of public interest. Excerpts:
You were very critical when section of your party leaders hobnobbed with the Maoists. At a time when almost all those leaders have now turned critical of Maoists, you are not being seen or heard. What is your current stand?
When such a large number of our party colleagues, who criticized our opinions terming it as a slogan of regressive and reactionary forces, are themselves championing our point of view, we don’t need to trumpet our stand any more. We opposed all out alliance with the Maoists knowing that they would betray democracy and freedom. Their recent activities show that Maoists have not given up one party authoritarian ideology. This means eight point agreement signed with Maoists following the success of Janadolan II is a complete failure. Our party colleagues who trapped our party president Girijababu to sign the agreement need to apologize for their political blunder.
You were first leader in Nepali Congress who proposed to remove the monarchy from your party’s statue. But, you were pushed behind by your colleagues who moved one step forward to the direction of republic. How do you look at it?
I was compelled to resign as a chief secretary of Nepali Congress in 1997 when I proposed that the time has come to remove the constitutional monarchy from our party constitution. My proposal was that monarchs always betrayed Nepali Congress and democracy, thus we have to abandon this institution. At that time my party colleagues, who are now harping the extreme slogan of republic, even pressured leader Girija Prasad Koirala to take stern action against me.
Don't you feel your victory when NC endorsed republican?
Of course, ten years after my proposal just to remove the constitutional monarchy from our party constitution, the party has not only removed the constitutional monarchy from its constitution but it switched itself into a republican party. I spent almost eight months in prison out of 15 months of direct rule of King Gyanendra and I was the first person to demand that Nepali Congress should give up constitutional monarchy; they blamed me as monarchist and reactionary. My argument was that we should bring Maoists to mainstream but we should not join Maoists’ mainstream. Even out of 31 members, 28 members were on one side and remaining three on the other side. But, voices of 28 members were discarded. Maoists have not implemented and executed any agreements signed with us.
What are your differences?
However, Nepali Congress followed all the agreements and implemented them accordingly. Even we agreed to follow the Maoist agenda. Our party did nothing when Maoists captured the whole districts during the elections of Constituent Assembly. Despite all kinds of violence and abuse of election code of conduct, we accepted the verdict of the CA. After the election results, we have firmly decided to be in opposition to revive our party’s glory. Some of our friends still prefer to join the Maoist government. What we objected in the past has come true now. I believe that Nepali Congress will revive given its role as a main opposition party.
After throwing the democratic constitution of 1990, which was drafted under the leadership of your party, in dustbin, how hopeful you are that this constituent assembly with over 60 percent communist members under a government led by Maoists will promulgate democratic constitution?
Maoists have been making efforts to open the front of communists and they have already pursued this idea. But they have failed to lure other communists except a few members of hard core ones. Of course, there is overwhelming strength of communists in the Constituent Assembly but you cannot put the entire communists in the same bracket. For instance, CPN-UML and other communist parties are committed to competitive multi party democratic process. We have alliance with them to bring a democratic constitution. Maoists opposed the move of Nepali Congress to form a joint front of all democratic forces. But, it calls unity or front of all communist forces. Maoist wants to assimilate the entire small communists. The differences between Maoists and other forces is that Maoists still believe in authoritarian one party ideology, while others don’t.
When there are differences among your party members regarding the forms of government and modalities of federalism, how can you make alliance with other parties?
So far as form of government is concerned, our party has already decided to back parliamentary form of government or British system. We are still in the process of discussion on the issues of federalism. Our colleagues Govinda Raj Joshi and Narahari Acharya have already proposed their models for federalism.
What do you say about such differences of opinion within your party?
There are people in our party who never discard populism. They backed pro-monarchical stand when it was popular. Next time when they saw the republican slogan was growing stronger, they switched to republican agenda. These people do not have any political stand. The party constitution was amended to republican when there was strong opposition in the party’s central committee and general council. Of course, I am not a follower of monarchist but I opposed the party’s way of deciding to remove the monarchy and turn into republican. Our party accepted all the conditions set by Maoists to the extent that even our party’s own ideology and ideals were compromised. We are paying the price for such sacrifice.
What is your view about the recent outcry over Koirala’s visit to India?
When Maoist leaders including prime minister Prachandaji and other senior leaders visited India, we have never raised any question or made hue and cry. I don’t understand any reason behind Maoist outcry over the visit of our leader Girija Prasad Koirala to India. Girijababu went to New Delhi just for his health check-up. As a leader of such a high political stature, it is natural for Girijabau to see senior Indian leaders. Maoist are crying in a way that Koirala’s visit will shake the chair of Prachanda. It shows that Prachanda’s chair lies in very weak foundation. If Koirala’s Delhi visit can shake the chair of prime minister Prachanda, what about his strength of 432 votes. One thing Prachanda must understand is that Nepali Congress did not vote him and they cannot expect us to back them.
Maoists are even saying that your leader visited India to topple down this government. How do you look at it?
First of all, Girijababu has already made it clear that Nepali Congress is not interested to pull down this government now. If Girijababu wants, he can pull down this government from within the country and he does not need support from outside.
Then, why have Maoist leaders including prime minister Prachanda said that he has credible information regarding conspiracy being hatched in New Delhi?
It shows how weak and fragile this government is.
How difficult is it for you to coordinate among114 members of CA as a chief whip of Nepali Congress?
All the individual members have their own personal views on many issues. So far as the party’s policy is concerned, they follow the whip. I don’t feel much difficulty in performing the role of chief whip.
Maoist leaders have been accusing Nepali Congress for the present power crisis? Being a former minister of water resources, how do you look at it?
Everyone knows what Maoists had committed in the name of People’s War in the past. They bombed number of power plants in the name of revolution and threatened the investors not to invest in the power sector. The glaring example is Middle Marsyangdi Hydropower Project, which was delayed for five years and cost escalated by nearly double. Instead of blaming us, they must apologize to people for the devastation and make sincere efforts to initiate some projects. Nepali Congress will support any constructive moves of the Maoist government.
The power crisis surely is not a sudden phenomenon and it must have taken a long time to occur. Who do you blame for this?
Although it is history now, the cancelation of Arun III project was one of reasons behind the
present power crisis. Had the CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal not written letter to the World Bank, the project would not have been cancelled. So much information has already been leaked out since the Arun III debacle; you can judge the role of all the persons involved in it.
Then Nepali Congress government was accused of putting all eggs in a single basket in the name of Arun III preventing the construction of new projects. How do you look at it?
If that was so, how could Kali Gandaki 144 MW, Khimti 72 MW, Bhotekoshi 36, Chilime 22 and Modi 12 be constructed. These projects are the results of our efforts. Under the leadership of then prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, our team consisting of Planning Commission Vice Chairman Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, finance minister Mahesh Acharya, secretaries of the ministries and I myself developed a long term strategy for hydro power sector.
How do you see the possibility of solving this power crisis soon?
If Maoist government is sincere, it can do it. Thanks to the support of NEA staffs and other persons, we have completed the task of reconstruction of Kulekhani project in 1993 just within seven months. If Maoists start construction of Upper Tamakoshi and other identified projects, the load shedding time will be shortened.
