Since the past few months, the politics of the hill locked Himalayan state of Nepal has taken an egregious turn led by feuds, factionalism, dissent, and rivalry characterized by discontent and discord between KP Oli Sharma and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. The Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is the ruling party at present in Nepal formed by the unification of two leftist parties- the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) on May 17, 2018.
Oli has been playing his spot to contain any such activity which severely impacts and influences his role, rank, file, and position in the party by being wary of Prachanda’ss mustering initiative and effort. The latter is viewed by India as an inspiring face, figure and icon of Nepal’s model of development it is for this fact that Oli chose training his guns on Dahal by playing the all-out anti- India rhetoric as Oli has found resonance in the ideological mannerisms of the functioning of the Chinese Communist Party.
Oli has been hugely discomfited by Prachanda’s purposive posturing on issues and matters affecting governance and legislative business-making in the house by discrediting the morale of the political activists, workers, and activists of the Nepali Communist Party. Many viewers and insiders of the top ring of Nepali Communist Party along with Dahal believe that Oli never brought any legislation to the standing committee for any constructive debate, dialogue and deliberations. That discouraged the participation of the house members if not for him than for the interest of the people and the country.
Whereas for Oli, it is a clear tactic and technique employed by Prachanda and his coteries to oust Oli from the top post thus derailing the exercise of legislative rulemaking agency and authority in the house. It was for this fact that Oli fondly developed a penchant for aggressively attacking India in his statements and word of mouth by intertwining nationalism with a sheer sense of cultural pride and patriotism suiting Oli’ss political interests and objectives as a political practitioner.
In my belief and view, the assembly session called by KP Oli to pass and legislate on the new map of Nepal featuring the Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura were attempted by Oli to seize of any rebellion in the structure of the party and hierarchy of the ruling dispensation. That affirmed his sway and hold over the party. Coming in the radar of the right-wing ruling dispensation in India and accusing Oli of acting at the behest of China as Oli was also irked by the of the cough remarks by the top-ranking administrators and bureaucrats of the ruling Indian dispensation.
India had genuine reasons to interfere and intervene as it was all about upholding and maintaining the sovereignty of the country as the Indian establishment should have tried to enter into diplomatic level talks with their Nepalese counterparts but instead chose the rubbish. Is this how you conduct your diplomatic ties with your surrounding neighbours? I was left puzzled that this episode brought Oli’s Nepal closer to China as the latter, through trade investment package and plans, will surely encroach upon the security and sovereignty of Nepal. As has been the case with its debt diplomacy, if for a while we look at countries like Srilanka and Pakistan.
In the interest of the future and fate of politics in Nepal, it is but all the more important for Oli and Dahal to break the stalemate by offering to negotiate talks for the betterment and coordination between different functioning organs and agencies of the state to address the worries and grievances of the people. Nepal under this time, apart from Corona pandemic, has been hit by subsequent floods which have rendered many homeless without lack of basic proper resources and facilities leading to dislocation and disparity as I am made to believe that the Communist government in Nepal should seek to attend to the build-up of the alarming situation at the site.
Give up on nursing aspirations and ambitions for now Mr Oli and Prachanda. This will do for you rather than anything else.