| People’s Republic Postponed |
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"It is a small matter to beat someone to death, but it is very important to conduct revolution, to uproot resistance, to preserve redness." In his book, Voices from S-21, Terror and History in Pol Pot’s Secret Prison, David Chandler gives this memorable advice from a Chinese Red Guard. The revolution our Maoists maintain wants to establish a People’s Republic (PR) in our country. Observation of Nepali Maoism in a recent "interaction" programme and PM Prachanda’s tactical "resignation" has made that Red Guard’s comment quite relevant.
As usual, the programme ended two hours late. As customary, the Maoist view prevailed. The MC didn’t even allow questions from the floor. The "interaction" resembled a football game where the opposition team hasn’t received the invitation to compete. So, the Maoists were scoring all the goals only because they had no one at the "enemy" goal post. The "interaction" turned into Army-Chief-Katawal bashing session. All, but a Christian lady who politely lamented that the Maoist-led government had let down the people, sang hallelujahs to Prachandapath’s utopia to come soon, only if Katawal would go. Ironies abounded in that "interaction". Speakers galore criticised the NC and the UML for bowing to the South (India). No one bothered to ask why the Maoist leaders were running so often to the North (China). All condemned the NC and its allies for making this soldier, Katawal, the centre of attention at the expense of the country. None questioned himself/herself why s/he was doing the same for five hours in that hotel. Many lambasted the NC-led disruption of the parliament, no one inquired if the Maoists had delivered Prachanda Thaiba’s murderer or returned confiscated property. (True, they gave back land/houses belonging to two big shots, Amrit Bohara and Lokendra Bahadur Chand. What about the simple folks expelled from their homes and forced to live in cramped, rented rooms in Nepalganj or Kathmandu?) Others decried foreign intervention, but went on pretending that Maoism itself is home grown. Two speakers moaned how India had confiscated land in Susta and Pashupati Nagar. No one questioned why the Maoist-led government hadn’t used its YCL and the security force to redress the wrong. Most prophesied that they would go to the "people" who would prevail. Did anyone even reflect that people too had voted the NC, the UML, and others as the second, third, fourth, etcetera, parties; and these combined could be a bigger force than the Maoists? "We must punish Katawal for excesses of Jana Andolan II!” What about Maoist murderers of journalists like Birendra Sah and Uma Singh? Three speakers very clearly proclaimed their lofty ambition for our motherland, "We’ll bring in the People’s Republic!" Go Katawal, come the PR (eventually). Over lunch, I asked a Maoist lady, "You want to get rid of Katawal now so that you can import all the 20,000 PLA soldiers into the Nepal Army before July when UNMIN leaves. Then, you can make Nepal your PR, can’t you?" She told me to go to her superiors. I put the question to Surya Bahadur Sen, whom I knew only though his books. "If the Maoists get rid of Katawal, infiltrate the Nepal Army with even those soldiers the UNMIN has found unsuitable, and make our country like North Korea, what will you do?" Sen’s unconvincing reply was, "Let’s get rid of Katawal first and impose our civilian supremacy. Then we’ll deal with that issue later!" Deal with the Maoists after they win over the army? Had Sen forgotten 30 years of Panchayat under kings who commanded our troops? On May 4, PM Prachanda resigned. Suddenly, the PR prophesied by Maoist cadres so eloquently on May Day seemed further away. Outwardly, Prachanda resigned because the President re-instated Katawal whom he and the Maoist party had fired. No one can blame Dr Yadav for overturning the decision on the commander-in-chief because even the partners in the coalition had objected to his dismissal. So, it was not a "government" decision to sack Katawal; it was merely a Maoist move. (Some will argue that in the Westminster type of democracy, the PM has the final say even if the majority in the cabinet don’t agree. Then, how is the PM different from a dictator? Sher Bahadur Deuba didn’t consult his cabinet when he dissolved the parliament, and King Gyanendra took over. Indira Gandhi bypassed the cabinet while imposing emergency (1975) and dissolving the Lok Sabha (1977) and suffered for both.) However, by resigning Prachanda had followed in the footsteps of the first elected Indian PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. After the 1962 India-China war and loss of some Indian territory to China, Nehru’s popularity had sunk. His former colleagues planned a no-confidence motion against him. Nehru got rid of these through the "Kamaraj Plan". Nehru, his key federal ministers, and chief ministers of various states would offer to resign. Of course, his juniors would say Nehru himself is indispensable; and would themselves leave the government. The Kamaraj Plan worked and Nehru managed an effective purge of his opponents. Prachanda didn’t have similar success. Hoping to eliminate Katawal and humiliate President Yadav, he resigned. By stating two days later that the Maoists would lead the next government, Prachanda has portrayed himself as a fickle time-waster, reluctant to lose the perks of the PM’s office or his control over the country’s treasury. Then, Prachanda’s video of his pep-talk to his cadres in the Shaktikhor cantonment! In spite his external deceptive pledges to promote democracy, maintain human rights, and respect the media, Prachanda showed himself a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Now, ever more lies to cover up the Shaktikhor truth. The PR of Maoist dream hasn’t died. Prachanda’s bungling has just postponed it. In midst of the threat of the PR, we can be hopeful it will never come about. In contrast to David Chandler, a different author, St. Paul, wrote of another revolution, "In everything God works for good with those who love him." Published in the Republica on May 10, 2009 Newer...
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Surya Bahadur Sen, a Maoist MP, had organised the May Day function in Himalaya Hotel. All speakers either belonged to the United Maoist party or sympathised with it. 
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