Opinion Delivering on democracy
Nepals quest for a constitution has reached a crucial juncture.
On Sunday afternoon,a mob of suspected Maoists torched the camp office of the Upper Karnali power project in Nepal,being executed by the Indian company,GMR. This was the second time in two months the project was being attacked. Nearly a dozen Indians were at work there and while details are still being obtained,these attacks are being seen as a political statement against the pro-democratic forces. A divided Maoist power structure is acting at cross purposes as Nepal heads into a decisive moment,with the extension given to the Constituent Assembly drawing to a close on May 28.
This is a crucial week for Nepals three-year quest to draw up a constitution. Despite having covered phenomenal ground,the Constituent Assembly has failed to deliver an agreed document. Dissensions have been guided by political interests and now this battle has spilled on to the streets of Nepals cities,towns and villages the turning point being the unexpected revival of the Nepali Congress. And a new breed of Maoists would like to return to their old anti-India political narrative and win back the political space its leadership seems to have lost.
This beleaguered Nepali Congress party charted out an ambitious mass-contact programme early last month,causing little stir then among its Maoist rivals. But when this culminated in a massive rally in Kathmandu last Friday,the response took everyone by surprise,including the otherwise faction-ridden Nepali Congress. Going by the official reports that reached Delhi,more than 50,000 people turned up to create a frenzied anti-Maoist atmosphere. Nepals left-leaning prime minister,Jhalanath Khanal,who is in power because of a tie-up with the Maoists,has spent a nervous weekend trying to reach out to various influential sections,including Nepals right-wing parties.
By itself,the Nepali Congress has not exactly toiled at the grassroots to counter Maoist might,as much as the Maoists have themselves been unable to handle power. The extreme activities of the Youth Communist League,which includes dishing out routine threats to the local population,coupled by prolonged political uncertainty despite the Maoists being the largest party,seemed to have generated sufficient public anger for crowds to throng the streets. On its part,the Nepali Congress has managed to sink its differences for the moment with its party head Sushil Koirala,reaching a consensus of purpose with the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction. Both leaders addressed last Fridays rally together as the Congress unveiled its 10-point agenda.
The battle in Nepal has now truly become political. A will to challenge the assumption that the Maoists are the only political force enjoying mass support is a potential game changer. The 10-point demand asks Maoists to live up to their commitments on integrating their armed cadre,give back confiscated properties and return all weapons to the Nepal government. More importantly,it states that this needs to be done before moving ahead with another extension to the Constituent Assembly. The document even talks of a new national consensus government to guarantee that these demands are fulfilled. This is being read as a call for some sort of national unity government.
The shadow battles in Nepals political space have now moved to the streets,entering a new phase and bringing with it a fresh set of challenges for powers with huge stakes in that country. India is in the forefront when it comes to stakes in Nepal. New Delhi has been pursuing a prudent overall approach under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on neighbourhood issues,one which rests on the basic principle of non-interference. Yet,India has had to take a position on Sri Lanka during the war against the LTTE and the fallout on the Tamil population. If that was more pronounced due to domestic political compulsions,the sudden emergence of the Bangladesh relationship as the touchstone of good neighbourly ties cannot be attributed to mere political coincidence.
A massive peaceful popular upsurge,as many Nepalese proudly recall,ejected one of the worlds most well-entrenched monarchies. The Maoists were the popular choice to take over,but what has been forgotten is that this power was acquired through a democratic exercise. An impatient population,still waiting for the fruits of the change it effected,is rallying again. India has to read this narrative right and invest political capital accordingly.
When the king of Nepal was sending SOS calls as angry crowds thumped the royal gates of the Narayanhiti palace,India took a call to side with the people and then abide by the choice they made. Five years later,India needs to be equally fair in supporting the democracy narrative. Except,the characters making the calls have changed. As Sundays attack shows,being a fundamentalist neutral is no insurance either. Its time the Indian political space woke up to the developments in Nepal,top politicians started responding to invitations from their Nepalese counterparts and the benign power of a democracy began to make its presence felt through political voices rather than bureaucratic notes.
pranab.samanta@expressindia.com
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