Maoists tie up with political parties to cut the King to size

In a key push towards democracy in Nepal, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists), spearheading a decade-long insurgency to turn Hindu Nepal ...

In a key push towards democracy in Nepal, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists), spearheading a decade-long insurgency to turn Hindu Nepal into a Communist republic, has reached an understanding with an alliance of seven political parties.

Highly placed sources said that the broad understanding—coming after a week which saw several senior leaders and diplomats in New Delhi—is a “peaceful” agitation for full democracy that could mean accommodating a ceremonial or truly constitutional monarchy and a “joint movement” to elect a constituent assembly. To this effect, the Maoists are learnt to have agreed to disarm under UN supervision.

Details of next steps are likely to be made public only after the King makes his position clear on “ceremonial or truly constitutional role’’ offered to him.

The King is on a trip abroad and is scheduled to return home on December 2 unless developments back home compel him to cut it short.

Education Minister Radha Krishna Mainali, himself a Naxalite leader in Nepal in the ’60s, warned that the leaders who have spoken to Maoists could be held under anti-terrorist acts, but it was not clear whether the statement was made on behalf of the King.

According to PTI, Mainali told reporters: “The frantic visit of some prominent political leaders and diplomats to Delhi is an unfortunate development, consultation would not yield any good result.”

	Sleepless in New Delhi

	The understanding comes after a week of senior leaders from Nepal being in New Delhi: • Communist leader Madhav Nepal in Delhi • G P Koirala reached Delhi on Nov 10 • PM Manmohan Singh met King in Dhaka on Nov 13 • Maoist leaders Prachanda and Bhattarai in Delhi • US Ambassador to Nepal says Maoists have to disarm • Indian Ambassador S S Mukherjee also present

For, the understanding comes at a time when two most prominent pro-democracy leaders, G P Koirala of Nepali Congress and Madhav Kumar Nepal of Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), to India ostensibly for their health check-up.

Story continues below this ad

Their visit coincided with the presence of US Ambassador to Nepal James Moriarty and Indian Ambassador Shiv Shankar Mukherjee.

It is reliably learnt that Koirala and Nepal also met Maoist leaders Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai in Delhi. There has been no official word yet on the meetings as well as the understanding. When contacted in New Delhi today, before he left for Kathmandu, CPN’s Nepal told The Indian Express: “We have to talk, we don’t have to meet in India to talk. We can meet them (the Maoists) in Nepal itself.” Nepal and another CPN-UML leader K P Sharma Oli returned to Kathmandu while Koirala is still in Delhi.

The seven parties, which have been agitating in Nepal, had earlier authorised Koirala and Nepal to reach any agreement with the Maoists to steer the country out of the current political stalemate.

Ambassador Moriarty said that Washington had no objection to political parties talking to the Maoists but their return to the political mainstream was contingent on them giving up violence.