POLITICS Full Of Contradictions

With contradictions and controversies, politics is heading to new directions

Aug. 3, 2019, 8:50 a.m. Published in Magazine Issue: VOL 13 NO 02 ,Aug.02 –22 Aug., 2019(Sharwan 17, 2076) Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75

Whether it is two-thirds holder Nepal Communist Party or main opposition Nepali Congress, internal dynamic of the parties is disturbing. Despite holding a two-thirds majority, PM K.P. Sharma Oli has been facing resistance.

Leader of main opposition party and president of Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba has been facing stiff criticism from his own party colleagues in failing to bring the party back on the right track.

Since NC is in the opposition, the internal squabbling is one sided. However, internal squabbling of ruling party is creating more problems to prime minister Oli in internal as well as external fronts.

Although the unification of CPN-UML and NCP is at the final stage, hindrances have appeared after leaders of both the groups claim head of party schooling department.

Even after a week of efforts and negotiations, Co-chairs K.P. Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda are yet to find the solution to a very insignificant agenda of party.

Despite near completion of the unity, Prime Minister Oli and Prachanda have been working in their own way in the external front. Defying the government's own stand on Cuba and Venezuela, co-chair Prachanda has been expressing solidarity with Venezuela and Cuban regime.

Prachanda not only welcomed Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, son of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who also met former Prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalnath Khanal, expressed his party's sincere support to Venezuela’s president Mudorei.

Going one step ahead Co-Chair Dahal opened Ninth Asia Pacific Regional Conference of Solidarity with Cuba in Kathmandu and he opposed sanctions against Cuba and said that it is against universal norms and values of human rights. He also expressed solidarity with the people and leaders of one of the last remaining communist countries in the world.

Co-chair Dahal's activities are creating difficulties to PM Oli government in external front. Dahal's insistence to appoint head of party school department has been obstructing the unification process.

As the country's two leading parties are in internal squabbling, two factions of Rashtriya Prajatantra Party are working for unification. The Unification of two RPP factions led by Pashupati Sumsher Rana and Kamal Thapa cannot be important in power game but the process carries a significant meaning.

As Nepal's political forces have been passing through difficult political games, the reported visit of head of Indian Intelligence has its meaning. It is widely reported in local media that he met President Bidya Bhandari, Prime Minister Oli, former King Gyanendra, former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Chief of Nepal Army.

At a time when other individuals did not comment on the report, former King Gyanendra and Nepal Army flatly denied the report of political meeting. Nepal Army issued a statement saying that the reports circulated in Thaha and other online media about COAS General Purna Chandra Thapa's meeting with Chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's premier Intelligence Agency, was baseless and without any substance.

Government's spokesperson Gokul Baskota also said that he did not have information regarding the meeting with president, Prime Minister Oli and former prime minister Dahal. Rumors rule politics of Kathmandu and the truth is yet unknown behind the event.

As politics in Nepal has been passing through rumors and contradictions, just a faction can turn the politics to the other end. As politics is taking twist and turn, BJP's powerful leader Dr. Subramanian Swamy, who attended a conference organized by World Hindu Federation, urged Nepal to make it as a Hindu State. He justified his argument saying that Nepal is a land of gods, saints and deities.

Before leaving to India on Saturday, he also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Oli. It is yet to know whether Dr. Swamy mentioned his views in interactions with PM Oli. Along with Dr. Swamy, another BJP leader Tarun Vijaya, who also shared the view with Dr. Swamy, also reportedly paid a courtesy call to PM Oli the same day.

Given the statement of PM Oli at the inaugural ceremony of Ganga Lal Cardiology Center, what one could assume is that both the leaders might have mentioned the issue of Hindu State. In his address, PM Oli, who is criticized by media for his involvement with Korea's Moon, highly praised medical sciences, indicating that science is greater than faith or religion.

Given a series of new events and growing internal contradictions, Nepal's political scenario seems to be waiting for a new turn. The question remains: on what terms and conditions.

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