News from Nepal(continued)

[F9]

Continued from here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/news-nepal-t114558/index65.html)

[mosfeld]

Maoists ready to address NA's problems

KATHMANDU, Sept 14: Vice Chairman of the UCPN (Maoist) Narayankaji Shrestha on Tuesday clarified that the government and his party have reached a gentlemen´s agreement to address the problems faced by the national army through dialogues.

“If there are genuine problems of the Nepal Army, our party is ready to address them through discussions at political level,” said Shrestha.

The government had on Monday agreed to allow UNMIN to monitor the Nepal Army after September 15 till its extended term expires.

The Maoists have made it clear that they would be flexible in letting the army fill up technical posts and allow procurement of arms and ammunition meant for peace keeping purpose after holding dialogues at the political level.

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23311

[mosfeld]

Agreement at last

The government and the UCPN (Maoist) have finally struck a deal about the future of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) and have sent a joint letter to the United Nation’s Security Council (UNSC) to extend its term – for the last time – for four months. This was a deal, in a way forced by the UNSC that rejected separate letters sent by the government and the Maoists and asked them to form a common stance on the issue. Since the Security Council threatened the parties with a technical rollover of the Mission if they failed to reach an agreement, they had no choice but to comply. That we have reached a point where it seems no longer possible for us to use our common sense and reason to take decisions by ourselves is unfortunate.

The parties have also pledged to “take up the remaining tasks of the peace process from September 17 and complete them ‘basically’ by January 14, 2011.” This is the most important component of the 4-point deal between the government and the Maoists. There is, however, a caveat: Are the parties committed to and confident of ending the peace process in the next four months?

The wording of the agreement also leaves room for doubts. We urge all the parties to make use of the next four months to conclude the peace process and prepare a ground for writing a democratic constitution. Even as we ask all the parties to behave responsibly, there is no doubt in our mind that the Maoist party has to shoulder the major responsibility. As the party with its own army and the one that is yet to renounce violence, the onus for taking initiatives lie disproportionately on the Maoists.

But the Maoists still seem divided between concluding the peace process, writing a constitution, and becoming a part of a democratic mainstream and waging a revolt to capture state by force. Only on Wednesday, when Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was busy signing a deal in Baluwatar to conclude the peace process in the next four months, Maoist Senior Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya was telling the public that his party was preparing for the final revolt.

The peaceful protest programs, announced by the party for a month beginning September 17, according to Baidya, will prepare ground for the revolt. The Maoist party must once and for all decide which way it wants to go. So long as the party remains vertically split – half of its leaders committed to peace half-heartedly and the other half harping on war – the party is going to go nowhere. Our only hope is that, if and when the party takes a final decision, it will decide to side with peace and democracy and shun the radical elements in the party.

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23303

Govt, Maoists send consensus letters to UN

KATHMANDU, Sept 14: The government and the UCPN (Maoist) on Tuesday sent separate consensus letters to the United Nations (UN) for renewal of the existing mandate of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) by four more months.

Earlier, the government and the UCPN (Maoist) had sent separate and conflicting letters to the UN with regard to the renewal of UNMIN´s mandate after September 15, the deadline of the existing mandate of the UN political mission.

"The letter reflects the spirit of the agreement reached between the government and the UCPN (Maoist) on Monday," said a source close to the prime minister.

On Monday, both the government and the Maoists had agreed to complete the peace process in the next four months, among others.

The UCPN (Maoist), in the letter, has expressed its optimism that it will be possible to take the ongoing peace process to a fruitful conclusion within the next four months. The party sent the letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon through the UNMIN´s office in Kathmandu.

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23313

[Saorsa]

Dahal says Maoists will trounce regressive forces
Wednesday, 15 September 2010 17:07

He, however, said he was concerned looking at the one after another round of election for a prime minister failing to bear results.

Dahal, who was speaking at a book launching programme in the capital on Wednesday, also described the deepening political problem as a direct result of the serious contention between progressive and regressive forces.

The Maoist chairman, however, said that the party will emerge victorious in its fight against regressive forces. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9189-dahal-says-maoists-will-trounce-regressive-forces.html

[RED DAVE]

Maoists ready to address NA's problems

KATHMANDU, Sept 14: Vice Chairman of the UCPN (Maoist) Narayankaji Shrestha on Tuesday clarified that the government and his party have reached a gentlemen´s agreement to address the problems faced by the national army through dialogues.

“If there are genuine problems of the Nepal Army, our party is ready to address them through discussions at political level,” said Shrestha.

The government had on Monday agreed to allow UNMIN to monitor the Nepal Army after September 15 till its extended term expires.

The Maoists have made it clear that they would be flexible in letting the army fill up technical posts and allow procurement of arms and ammunition meant for peace keeping purpose after holding dialogues at the political level.

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23311Whoa! WTF?

RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

It's a concession that doesn't mean much in practice. The NA has secret arms caches, of course. While the peace accords have made it difficult for them to operate in the open in some ways, when the time comes their guns won't be without bullets. And if the UNMIN stopped monitoring them... they'd be able to very easily prepare to move against the Maoists. It would mean the abrupt end of the peace process.

All the Maoists have done is allow the NA to get the weapons and ammo it needs for overseas 'peacekeeping' missions. It's a very minor concession.

If Kiran's claims are true and the Maoists are preparing for revolt, they need time. With this concession they've gained four months. Let's hope it's enough.

[RED DAVE]

Maoists ready to address NA's problems

...

“If there are genuine problems of the Nepal Army, our party is ready to address them through discussions at political level,” said Shrestha.Great lesson for revolutionaries all over the world ... help your local army.

Now all this can be rationalized as a delaying strategy, sort of like the nazi-Soviet pact. On the other hand, why embellish a strategic necessity with a series of lies that undermines Marxist political theory? Or is the Nepali army, like fascism according to Molotov, just a matter of taste?

RED DAVE

[Martin Blank]

Great lesson for revolutionaries all over the world ... help your local army.

Now all this can be rationalized as a brilliant delaying strategy, sort of like the nazi-Soviet pact. On the other hand, why embellish a strategic necessity with a series of lies that undermines Marxist political theory? Or is the Nepali army, like fascism according to Molotov, just a matter of taste?

Maybe I'm giving the Maoists in Nepal too much of the benefit of the doubt -- maybe I'm too repelled by outside pessimists right now to give credence to their arguments -- but it seems that Shrestha's quote is a tactical response that fits with what is really a delaying tactic.

“If there are genuine problems of the Nepal Army, our party is ready to address them through discussions at political level,” said Shrestha. And exactly what would the Maoists say in those political discussions? It seems to me that, with the preparations for resuming armed struggle underway, whatever the Maoists might say about problems in the NA would be geared toward weakening their opponent and strengthening the position of the PLA (even though it may not appear on the surface to be such). That's just common sense, at this point.

There is also another point to consider here. Attempting to address problems in a military through "political dialogue" is a painfully long and protracted process, in the eyes of the military itself. Consider what the "political dialogue" on the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy has done to the U.S. military in recent years. It has been demoralizing for the officer corps, taxing on personnel in general and seemingly a dead-end exercise. Everyone connected to the process, from politicians to the brass hats to the media pundits and bobbleheads is already frustrated by what has been happening. Some see it going too slow; some see it going too fast. What everyone agrees on is that consensus is impossible.

Now, consider such a dynamic in a "political dialogue" around the Nepali Army. It is going to push a lot of tensions to the surface. From the Maoist perspective, if they have any semblance of brains about this, they can use the entire experience as a "teaching moment". If the NC and UML stall on the "dialogue", the Maoists can rightly accuse them of violating the peace accord and UNMIN mandate. If the officer corps tries to revolt, it can offer an opportunity to present the PLA as the "defenders of peace and democracy". If the media tries to interrupt the "dialogue", the Maoists can use the opportunity to shift public opinion in favor of a Maoist-led government. Personally, I suspect all three will happen, to one degree or another. As a bonus, each of these, and the combinations thereof, can be used as a reason to re-launch armed struggle and enact a revolution. With the NA weakened through demoralization, the officer corps set against the Constituent Assembly (and, very likely, itself as well), the bourgeois parties looking like they are appeasing potential coup plotters, and the media frothing at the mouth over an agreed-to process of "political dialogue", the Maoists and PLA will find themselves in the best possible position to make the final push for power. Their opponents will be divided against themselves in ways not seen before, while they will be relatively unified and prepared for action.

(NB: The chief spoiler in this scenario would be Bhattarai, who will inevitably play a role akin to Zinoviev in October 1917. The real question is how much he can damage the UCPN[M] by doing so. I have a hunch it might backfire badly if he overplays his hand, though.)

[Homo Songun]

On the one hand, it is a truism that the State, with the armed forces at its core is an expression of the dictatorship of one class over another.

On the other hand, the Russian revolution never would have popped off without the Tsar's soldiers switching sides. Likewise in the Chinese revolution, there was more than one instance of the KMT switching over to the Communists en bloc.

UCPN(M) is playing an interesting game here. Whether they win or lose, this is shaping up to be what is sure a massive lesson for Marxists everywhere.

Its a bit like watching a car wreck happen, really. The only question is, will it end up like Funniest Home Videos or Red Asphalt? Only time will tell.

[Saorsa]

(NB: The chief spoiler in this scenario would be Bhattarai, who will inevitably play a role akin to Zinoviev in October 1917. The real question is how much he can damage the UCPN[M] by doing so. I have a hunch it might backfire badly if he overplays his hand, though.)

I agree with your analysis and your post was excellent. I want to question this a bit though - it's not particularly Marxist, imho, to say that Bhattarai playing a Zinovievist role is 'inevitable'. We don't know the content of the debates. We don't know what he's saying behind closed doors. We know he's arguing for things to be slowed down and fought out legally and peacefully for a while longer, but his argument could revolve around slowing it down for only a few more months than Kiran is arguing for. We just don't know and I think it's dangerous to publicly label Bhattarai a counter-revolutionary this early in the game. He's one of the party's most senior leaders and is very highly respected in Nepal - he's also a genius, literally. An incredibly smart man. We shouldn't just dismiss him.


ts a bit like watching a car wreck happen, really. The only question is, will it end up like Funniest Home Videos or Red Asphalt? Only time will tell.

Lol isn't a car wreck guaranteed to end badly?

[Martin Blank]

I agree with your analysis and your post was excellent. I want to question this a bit though - it's not particularly Marxist, imho, to say that Bhattarai playing a Zinovievist role is 'inevitable'. We don't know the content of the debates. We don't know what he's saying behind closed doors. We know he's arguing for things to be slowed down and fought out legally and peacefully for a while longer, but his argument could revolve around slowing it down for only a few more months than Kiran is arguing for. We just don't know and I think it's dangerous to publicly label Bhattarai a counter-revolutionary this early in the game. He's one of the party's most senior leaders and is very highly respected in Nepal - he's also a genius, literally. An incredibly smart man. We shouldn't just dismiss him.

It may be completely jumping the shark to say what I said about Bhattarai. I can accept that criticism. I guess that, more than anything else, he strikes me as someone that has difficulty accepting party discipline, and even more difficulty when those efforts at enforcing discipline come from other party members he sees as being of lesser intelligence. Maybe I'm wrong -- I sorta hope I am. But I do have a bad feeling about him. But, yes, it's all speculation, so I probably shouldn't have even mentioned it.

Anyway, thanks for the compliment on the analysis. Much appreciated.

[Saorsa]

Just to go completely off topic... jumping the shark? Lolwut? Here in NZ you hear the phrase 'jumping the gun' every so often, which makes sense as a phrase. People starting to run in a race before the starter gun goes off, makes total sense.

But jumping the shark? wtf? :lol:

[RED DAVE]

What I think is crucial in this process, and which I don't see up for discussion, is the relationship of the party to the working class. In my arrogant opinion, the general strike was a disaster. The most powerful weapon that the working class has short of armed insurrections was used – to accelerate the constitutional process, which is already an act of class collaboration by the Maoists.

Someone, above, argued that the Maoists are in a much more powerful position than ever. I don't see this at all. They entered, and took over the prime ministership of, a bourgeois government and got their asses kicked politically. They have sowed illusions about the constitutional process. They have used the working class to manipulate a bourgeois constitutional political process that had nothing to do with working class power (but might have something to do with Maoist power, hence Bhattarai). All this has opened fissures in their leadership which are apparent halfway around the world.

The Maoists now are discussing restarting their armed struggle, which didn't work the last time because they had failed to establish connections with the urban working class in Katmandu. Maoist propaganda and photos of the general strike notwithstanding, it is not at all clear that those connections have been made, which virtually guarantees, at best, a victory without the working class coming to power and one more round of state capitalism.

I don't mean to be cynical, comrades. But I see the Maoists having come from the wrong direction in the first place politically, and going down the China, Vietnam and soon Cuba and North Korean route: state capitalism to private capitalism.

RED DAVE

[Martin Blank]

But jumping the shark? wtf? :lol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark

"Jumping the shark is an idiom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom) used to describe the moment of downturn for a previously successful enterprise. The phrase was originally used to denote the point in a television program (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_program)'s history where the plot spins off into absurd storylines or unlikely characterizations. These changes were often the result of efforts to revive interest in a show whose audience had begun to decline, usually through the employment of different actors, writers or producers."

[Saorsa]

The Maoists now are discussing restarting their armed struggle, which didn't work the last time because they had failed to establish connections with the urban working class in Katmandu.

They're discussing a revolt. There cannot be a return to the jungles - the urban masses, the trade unions and student unions and womens organisations and ethnic organisations etc etc are the new 'magic weapons' of the party.


Maoist propaganda and photos of the general strike notwithstanding, it is not at all clear that those connections have been made,

Some people will never be convinced. All evidence will be dismissed as 'Maoist propaganda', all anti-Maoist slander will be accepted as evidence. Are you honestly saying that the Maoists don't have mass support amongst the people of Kathmandu?


which virtually guarantees, at best, a victory without the working class coming to power and one more round of state capitalism.

It's pretty much inevitable unless some European country has a revolution and comes to the rescue of these backward savages amiright?

[Saorsa]

And so the most dangerous part of the peace process since the very beginning begins... let's hope it pays off.

Mao's PLA took the red stars off their caps when they joined with the GMD forces to fight the Japanese. There's historical precedents here.

PLA now under Special Committee

KIRAN CHAPAGAIN

KATHMANDU, Sept 17: In a significant development, the UCPN (Maoist) has agreed in principle to disassociate the PLA from the party and place it under the Special Committee formed for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of the former combatants.

“The combatants have come under the command and control of the Special Committee from today,” Maoist representative on the Committee Barsha Man Pun told journalists after a meeting on Thursday evening.

“It is an important step toward integration and rehabilitation of (the Maoist) army.”

Pun, who is also the in-charge of his party´s combatants integration bureau, informed that the combatants will formally come under the command and control of the Special Committee once a proposed secretariat gets final shape. He said that a special function will be organized soon to announce the PLA´s formal disassociation from the party.

Four more members will be added to the technical committee formed under the Special Committee and it will function as the secretariat to oversee the combatants, according to Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire, who is also spokesperson of the Committee.

One member each from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and the People´s Liberation Army will be added to the technical commitee. One of the 12 members will be appointed as the coordinator.

This is a significant development in the peace process which has remained practically stalled for so long. The government and the Maoists had agreed on Monday to conclude the peace process ´basically´ by January 14, 2011 and had sent a letter to the UN Security Council informing it about this.

Once the secretariat becomes functional, it will cut the link of the 19,602 combatants with the Maoist party through its command, control and direction.

A meeting of the Special Committee headed by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Thursday evening finalized two key documents relating to directives for command and control of the combatants and a code of conduct for the ex-Maoist army personnel.

The code of conduct requires the combatants to severe all their ties with the party. They will be prohibited from carrying out political activities, using pictures of communist leaders in their barracks, singing of communist songs and painting communist slogans, among other things, according to Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Rakam Chemjong, who is an invitee member on the committee. They will also have to stop greeting their leaders and fellow combatants in the way communist cadres do.

The code of conduct also bars Maoist leaders from making political speeches inside the cantonments where the combatants have been living under UN-monitoring.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23379

[Saorsa]

Prachanda has withdrawn from the PM race.

Maoist leader withdraws from race to be Nepal PM

(AFP) – 58 minutes ago

KATHMANDU — The head of Nepal's opposition Maoists withdrew Friday from the race to become prime minister to pave the way for fresh talks on forming a national consensus government, his party said.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal, a former warlord who still goes by his nom de guerre, Prachanda ("the fierce one"), was the front-runner in the two-way contest, but had failed to win the cross-party support he needed to form a new coalition government.

The Maoists, who fought a decade-long civil war against the state before transforming themselves into a political party and winning 2008 elections, hold the largest number of seats in parliament, but not enough to govern alone.

"The country has been held hostage by the indecision of its politicians," the party's vice chairman Baburam Bhattarai told AFP.

"We have decided to pull out of the race so that we can make a fresh attempt at reaching consensus between the parties for a national unity government."

Nepal has been without a government since June 30, when former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal stood down under intense pressure from the Maoists.

Since then, the parties have been unable to agree on the shape of the new administration and a series of votes in the 601-member parliament have proved inconclusive, with none of the candidates securing an overall majority.

The next vote was due to be held on September 26, but is likely to be cancelled after the Maoists' move.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hxVxagA_rZVAeQi43R_W3ZIKFarA

[Saorsa]

Prachanda warns for new struggle

Added At: 2010-09-16 10:01 PM Last Updated At: 2010-09-16 10:01 PM


http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/includes/vignette.php?img=../newsImages/nepaliNews/THTF41C2EE2_prachanda1.jpg&h=196&w=296&c=1

Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'
RSS

KATHMANDU: Chairman of the UCPN-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has warned of a national struggle if the party was not given a chance to lead the government through the constitutional ways.

Speaking at an interaction entitled 'Bhimdutta: National Independence and Nepali Revolution', organised by Sem Ahwan monthly magazine in the capital today, he claimed the national struggle will be different from the People's War and it will be waged under the leadership of all Nepalis.

He said the national struggle will be waged openly as the People's War was waged by publicly declaring from the Open Theatre (Khula Munch) and from the rostrum of the parliament.

Prachanda warned the people's patience and tolerance might cross the limit and it might take violent outlet saying that the Maoists and the 30 million people were overwhelmed with pain and suffering by fighting for national pride, independence and social justice.

He claimed the entire population will follow the path shown by the late Bhimdutta if the Maoists were sidelined under different pretensions.



Claiming that use of the 'remote control' has been seen in the current prime ministerial election, he reiterated that Nepalis should get a chance to elect the prime minister on their own.

He expressed his satisfaction towards the role of some media that are backing the issues of nationality.

Whip of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Abhishek Pratap Shah committed to sacrifice for the sake of nationality as did the late martyr Bhimdutta.

Professor Phanindra Nepal, cartographer Buddhi Narayan Shrestha and artiste Yubaraj Lama urged the Maoists to take a strong stance on nationality.

Bhimdutta Pant was born in a farmer family in 1983BS in Doti district was murdered in 2010BS Sawan 10.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Prachanda+warns+for+new+stru ggle&NewsID=258008

[mosfeld]

Nepal Maoist further complicate Peace Process, demand integration en masse

Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai, Vice chairman Unified Maoists’ Party responded modestly when asked by journalists whether he was the candidate for the prime ministerial post, “I do not have personal ambition to become the prime minister. It would be better if Comrade Prachanda leads the country as he is also leading the party.”

Whether Dr. Bhattarai was speaking his inner mind or something different could be a matter of debate in that while Bhattarai was clarifying his “ambitions”, his party chairman was listening to the remarks of his ‘rival’ with his head down.

The Unified Maoists’ Party organized a media interaction program on Saturday, June 26, 2010 after the completion of its ten day long (June 15-25, 2010) party politburo meeting held at the party headquarters in Parisdanda, Kathmandu wherein Dr. Bhattarai made these remarks.


The party also decided to convene the extended plenum of the central committee to point-out party’s prime contradictions.

The meeting has been scheduled for the month of September 2010.

“With the abolishment of autocratic and feudal monarchy and the unfolding political events thereafter make it clear that the party’s prime contradiction has also taken a new shape…we have concluded that our external and internal contradictions have been fused together”, reads the party’s statement distributed at the press conference.

The party senior vice chairman Mr. Mohan Baidya Kiran has already made it public that with the end of Nepali monarchy, his party’s prime contradiction was with the Indian Expansionism.

The Party statement also reads: “As per the Inter-state ideology of the proletariat, we will encourage interactions with the Communist revolutionaries across the world and develop proactive relations with them and have also decided to raise voices against the repression of the people across the world, including India.

Nevertheless, an energized looking Comrade Pushpa Kamal Dahal told journalists at the press meet adding more complexity to the stalled peace process that all UNMIN qualified Militias should undergo the integration process and that too en masse.

He said that the 19,000 UNMIN verified Militias are all qualified to undergo integration.

“We will not accept the modality for integration on individual basis, instead we favor a separate security force to be formed for the Peoples’ Liberation Army”, he continued.

He made it clear to his political rivals in the UML and Nepali Congress camps that nowhere in the Broader Peace Agreement has there been mentioned pin-pointing the number of PLA combatants that would undergo the integration process.

Thus, Dahal said, it would be against the peace agreement to pressurize us to provide the number of PLA men at this juncture.

Dahal at the press meet was flanked by his party deputies, vice chairmen Dr. Bhattarai, Mohan Baidya Kiran and Narayan Kaji Prakash.

“We have come to the conclusion that the likelihood of formation of consensus government has become almost impossible”, noted Prachanda and added, “Yet we have kept both option open, consensus and majority government, both.”

“I urge you journalists not to understand more than what we have said, we have said that consensus government should be formed under our leadership and the leadership means party’s chairman”, said Dahal and left the venue.

The Highlights of Party decision follows:
· Struggle from Three Fronts: Sadak, Sadan and Sarkar (Street, Parliament and Government).
· Unified Front at the local level to provide security, control price hike and provide other basic services to the common people.

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=7877

[mosfeld]

Stop micro-managing Nepal
DINKAR NEPAL

When things go out of control in a neighboring country with which you are culturally, historically and geo-politically linked, your diplomats posted to handle the situation there create a mess, the politicians who you believed would listen to you start behaving strangely and the people of that country start hating you; what does the doctor prescribe?

Fly envoys. If that fails, fly special envoys in frenzy. And what’s the news? Sorry doc, it’s got worse.

India is known to be a decisive influence in Nepal’s internal political affairs since the time it is known to be India. The untold promise for the Ranas in the closing years of the British Raj for protection against democratic winds; sheltering of King Tribhuvan and hence the monarchy in 1951; privileges, protection and facilities the political leaders got during the Panchayat era; the 1989-90 economic embargo; or, more recently facilitating of the 12-point agreement are all stark examples of this.

By and large, these efforts have helped positive outcomes for both Nepal and India except for the last time when the calculations went grossly wrong and the Maoists won a majority in the Constituent Assembly elections. And the problems started there.

In all the examples stated above, it was clear to India as to who matters most. The Ranas were the only people who had a say in Nepal at that time, hence there was no dilemma. Later, when the political environment became bad for the Ranas, the king was the best bet.

King Mahendra, clear on his alignments, gave little choice for India but to support the democratic movements and parties. This support continued till 1990 when the multi-party system was established. In 2006, after analyzing the merits and demerits, India helped the political parties unite against the king and created grounds for the Maoists for a soft landing into the mainstream.

But India’s calculation and the ‘democratic’ parties’ confidence was proved drastically wrong by the elections and now, the so-called Nepal experts (read ex-ambassadors, royal relatives and paper pundits) are losing their nerves.

The mother of all the problems for Lainchaur today is: Who should it deal with?

The king is almost ousted from the capital and the political arena. The Madhesis are not in a powerful majority though they are significant in number. The traditional elites or the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML have been made a political minority by the Maoists. And, with the Maoists, they are not very comfortable.

The result is this mess. Micromanagement is exposed. Threatening phone calls by intelligence operatives to legally elected lawmakers make headlines. And what is worse, the threat is over education prospects of the daughter who studies in a school!

The geo-political juxtaposition and economic reality makes it impossible for a government in Kathmandu to be indifferent toward New Delhi. Whatever be the ideological cart that pushes them to power, once the day-to-day nuances of governance, budget, finance and economy starts taking a toll on them; no political party can run away from this reality.

The moment Pushpa Kamal Dahal came to power, the ‘scrapping of the 1950 treaty’ mellowed down to both sides ‘reviewing the relationships with an open mind’. The rhetoric of recruitment of Nepali citizens in foreign army became a ‘sensitive and delicate issue’ that should be consulted with all parties. (When one of the diplomats derisively told me in a brief encounter that Dahal had himself called up the ambassador not to stop the recruitments in Nepal, I was ashamed to the hilt.)
Surprisingly, this realization has not made them confident in the right manner. It’s in the long-term interest of the relationship that India stops reacting in frenzy to each and every event in Nepal. In short, stop micro-managing Nepal.

Recently, an op-ed piece in a national newspaper of India carried an opinion of the sense that the diplomats are not there in Kathmandu to win a beauty contest. This shows that not only the policymakers but also the pundits are neglecting the most important factor in the relationship – the people. It’s high time someone gives a lecture on the importance of soft power and public opinion to the originators of such pontifications.

An image makeover, in the eyes of the public, is what India needs most right now. With what Lainchaur is involved in, it may be able to keep one or the other kind of ruling elites of its liking in the seats of importance. But, till the time the dissention remains in general public against India, some or the other party will emerge to exploit it. India, I believe, needs no lessons on this that creating a common enemy is the best method for political mass mobilization, if it has learnt something from politics of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

So, here are the tips from an insider. Instead of losing their sleep to decide who they should deal with in Nepal, the wise men in Lainchaur should focus on people-centered programs, and let the political powers come to equilibrium on their own, without an external pressure. And be rest assured, whoever emerges stronger on its own, cannot and will not bypass India.

India should focus its power and energy in educating its own citizens about the sensitivities involved while dealing with the citizens of a sovereign neighboring country. Drawing a Laxman Rekha, which should not be crossed at any cost, is in the best interests of all. And till the time this realization hits the rulers in Delhi, no Hanuman can fly to the Himalayas and get a sanjivani for the dying relationship.

[email protected]

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23414

[mosfeld]

Dahal affirms Maoists are in peace process to build 'a new political mainstream'

UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal announced on Friday that he has quit the maddening race for the post of prime minister to free the country from being hostage to indecision and uncertainty. He said that there is no meaning in continuing to contest in the prime ministerial election when seven rounds have remained fruitless.

Addressing the 12th General Convention of Nepali Congress at Khulla Manch, Dahal said Maoists were not brought into the peace process, but that the Maoists together with Nepali Congress had started the peace process.

"It would be wrong to say that late Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala brought the Maoists into the peace process," he said, raising his voice against the hooting he received from the crowd of mostly NC activists and sympathizers. "I and Girija Prasad Koirala together started this peace process."

Braving the slight drizzle and dip in temperature on a mostly overcast day, the fiery Maoist speaker further said that the Maoists agreed to sign the 12-point deal that formed the basis for the peace process not to come into the mainstream of national politics, but to give the country "a new political mainstream".

"We are here to build a new political mainstream for the country, not to be part of the existing structure, and till the time you all don't realise this fact, the country is bound to suffer," he said.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9233-nc-convention-kicks-off-at-khulla-manch.html

[Saorsa]

Poudel rules out withdrawal of PM candidacy
Monday, 20 September 2010 14:46

NC Leader Ram Chandra Poudel (File photo)
Nepali Congress vice president and the party's prime ministerial candidate Ram Chandra Poudel has made it clear that he would not back out from the ongoing PM race in the parliament until an alternative to elect a new prime minister is decided by the major three parties.

"There is no point withdrawing my candidacy," Pouldel told media persons at the NC general convention venue, Brikutimandap, Monday morning, "Pulling out of the race will not end the deadlock until we get an alternative."

He further explained, "A political consensus must be forged to decide the new leadership if the CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) want me to refrain from contesting."

Responding to a query, Poudel who is also the NC parliamentary party leader, asked UML and Maoist leaders to be practical in order to make political consensus. "Their consensus lies in just public speeches, but nothing has been done in practice," he added.

However, the NC leader indirectly admitted that the nation will not get a new PM on September 26, stating that the meeting of the NC central working committee to be formed by the general convention meeting cannot take place before the election date. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9297-poudel-rules-out-withdrawal-of-pm-candidacy.html

[mosfeld]

Integration of Maoist combatants possible in four months: PM Nepal
Tuesday, 21 September 2010 16:25

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/images/stories/news_photo/madhavkumar%20nepal.jpg

Caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has said integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants is possible within the next four months.

"If the Maoists sincerely adhere to the latest four-point agreement [between the government and the UCPN-Maoist], I believe integration and the rehabilitation of the combatants can start in the next one or one-and-half month and this process can be completed within four months," Prime Minister Nepal said while addressing a function organised in the capital to mark the International Day of Peace.

He also claimed that some achievements have been made in the peace process in the past one year such as the discharge of disqualified Maoist combatants, formulation of the regulations for the proposed commission on involuntarily disappeared people and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, clearance of the landmines, establishment of secretariats of the Peace Committee in 67 districts and the decision to bring the combatants under the control of the Special Committee.

He, however, admitted that there has not been much progress in implementing the Compressive Peace Agreement (CPA) and resolve the major issues concerning the constitution-building.

"For this, there is no alternative to consensus among the major political forces. Latest agreements reached within a short period have made me hopeful."

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9326-integration-of-maoist-combatants-possible-in-four-months-pm-nepal.html

[mosfeld]

Bijukchhe asks parties to accept Maoist-led govt

Three days after he expressed that presidential rule could be a way out of the present political stalemate in the nation, chairman of Nepal Workers and Peasant Party Narayanman Bijukchhe said the Unified CPN-M should be given chance to lead the to-be-formed government.

Talking to media persons in Chitwan Monday morning, Bijukchhe opined that other political parties must accept Maoist leadership as it is the largest party in the Constituent Assembly.

"UCPN (Maoist) must be offered to form the new government under its leadership," he said, adding, “However, Maoist leaders must express their full commitment to take the peace process to conclusion before accepting government leadership."

Earlier on Saturday, Bijukchhe had said country will slide backward and the economy will fall apart if the present situation continues and that the presidential rule could avert such a situation.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/19-general/9321-bijukchhe-asks-parties-to-accept-maoist-led-govt.html

[mosfeld]

Dahal's claim: UCPN (M) will win 2/3rd majority in next election

Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has claimed that his party will win 2/3rd majority in the next general election.


Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal (File photo)
The Maoist strongman also insisted that other parties are conspiring against the UCPN (M) fearing the party sweeping the next general elections and that are trying to send the party back to armed war.

Dahal was speaking at a programme organised at the Maoist headquarters Peris Danda, Koteshwor, to welcome a group of leaders and cadres from Nawa Janawadi Morcha that joined the Maoist party.

Describing the recent 3-point agreement with the UML as a positive development, he informed that the UCPN (M) would start dialogue with the UML and the Nepali Congress to resolve the deadlock over the election for the Prime Minister.

According to him, talks with NC leaders would begin as soon as the ongoing general convention of the NC is over.

Furthermore, saying that the term of the United Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) was extended thanks to Maoist initiative, Dahal described the extension as a step ahead in the peace process.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9304-dahals-claim-ucpn-m-will-win-23rd-majority-in-next-election.html

[mosfeld]

Maoists to hold talks with NC for consensus

KATHMANDU, Sept 21: The UCPN (Maoist) has decided to step up talks with the Nepali Congress (NC) for forming a consensus government.

The Maoist Standing Committee took a decision to this effect Tuesday. "We have decided to intensify talks with the NC as well as with the other small parties for a national consensus government for the sake of peace and constitution," said Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma.

The Maoist decision comes four days after the party inked a three-point deal with the CPN-UML and agreed to withdraw its candidacy for the sake of consensus.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and NC parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel are currently in the prime ministerial race. "We don´t think the NC will become a hindrance to the politics of consensus by sticking to the ongoing election process,´ said Sharma.

Sharma said that the UCPN (Maoist) as the largest political party in the parliament should lead the government, but added that the party is open about the government leadership.

The Maoist party has also decided to hold its party plenum from October 23 in Chitwan. The separate documents presented by top three leaders -- Dahal, Mohan Baidya and Dr Baburam Bhattarai -- have been sent to lower level committees for discussion.

Dahal will try to prepare a new document accommodating the views of both Baidya and Bhattarai for presentation in the plenum. But leaders close to Bhattarai and Baidya rule out such possibility. They claim that the differences are sharp between Baidya and Bhattarai, while Dahal doesn´t have any ideological ground. ´So it is difficult that Dahal will be able to synthesize the document," said a Maoist central leader.

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23552

[mosfeld]

'Maoists to push for peace, constitution'

http://myrepublica.com/news_images/5276.jpg

KATHMANDU, Sept 20: UCPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Monday that his party would take initiatives to complete the peace process and the constitution-drafting.

“We will move ahead with a new responsibility for the completion of the peace process and constitution-drafting,” said Dahal while speaking at a function organized to welcome some two dozen leaders who defected to the UCPN (Maoist) from the Ramraja Prasad Singh-led Nawa Janabadi party.

The Maoist chairman claimed his party played a crucial role in the recent extension of UNMIN term and the latest decision of the Special Committee to integrate and rehabilitate the Maoist combatants.

Dahal also claimed that his party would garner a two-thirds majority if the new election is held, and argued that conspiracies are being hatched to contain the raising popularity of the Maoist party.

He also said that the country is witnessing growing polarization between status quoists and those for pushing for change and those pro-change will win.

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23509

[mosfeld]

Maoists to gag leaders from anti-party policy remarks

KATHMANDU: KATHMANDU: The Standing Committee meeting of UCPN-Maoist on Tuesday imposed restriction on the party leaders to speak against the party policy, citing an ‘arbitrary freedom’ has invited problems.

Taking into account several instances of ‘disciplinary problems’, the Maoist Standing Committee concluded to form a powerful disciplinary department to curb such activities that remain at odds with the party line.

The meeting held at the party central office in Koteshwor this afternoon also decided to hold its extended Central Committee meeting slated for October 23 in Chitwan.

After the meeting, Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma told the media that the party endorsed the three-point agreement reached with the CPN-UML on September 17.

Also, the meeting endorsed the decision to extend the tenure of United Nations Mission in Nepal by four months.

Responding to a query regarding chances of withdrawal of Nepali Congress’ candidacy from the prime ministerial election, Sharma said the Maoists believe that the NC would not pose a hurdle in the process of consensus building. He further informed that today’s meeting decided to urge the NC to pull out of the race in order to pave the way for the consensus, and to hold consultations with other parties for the same.

When asked who would lead the next government, Sharma responded that being the largest party in the Parliament the Maoists would stake claim for the leadership but is ready for flexibility if needed.

He also dismissed the media reports that the next government would be led jointly by the CPN-UML and UCPN-Maoist excluding the other parties. He added that the party is committed to form a national consensus government.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Maoist+to+gag+leaders+from+a nti-party+policy+remarks+&NewsID=258634

[mosfeld]

Prachanda seeks special session of parliament

KATHMANDU: Unified CPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal today called on Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang and discussed the possibility of convening a special session of the parliament.

According to Article 51 (3) of the interim constitution, the President has to call a special session of the parliament if one-fourth of lawmakers lodge a petition in writing seeking the same. Such a session has to be called by the President within 15 days of the date of filing the petition.

A special session is convened to discuss a specific issue during the adjournment of regular session of the House, or when it is already prorogued. Dahal, after consulting his legal advisers, had held talks with Nembang about possibility of calling a special session ‘to amend the existing parliamentary regulations’.

However, the Speaker told the Maoist chairman that convening a special session of the parliament was not possible when the prime ministerial election was on.

“Without concluding the election process, a special session cannot be called to amend the parliamentary regulations, as the voting process is being carried out on the basis of existing regulations,” Nembang told Dahal. Dahal’s meeting with Nembang to discuss a special session comes two days after the former announced to withdraw his candidacy from the ongoing prime ministerial elections.

The Speaker asked Dahal to focus his party’s attention on constitution-drafting process, saying even the extended time was running out.

Meanwhile, 39 Constituent Assembly members of the CPN-UML today met Speaker Nembang and urged the latter to prioritise the constitution-drafting process. The CA members — led by Yamlal Kandel, Rabindra Adhikari and Binda Pandey — demanded that reports of seven thematic committees prepared by the 15-member study panel be immediately discussed at the full House of CA and sent to the Constitutional Committee.

The CA members also drew Nembang’s attention towards the President’s remarks on CA members in Dolakha a few days ago. Adhikari said the President saying ‘May God bless them (CA members) with wisdom’ was inappropriate, as the CA members were not personally responsible for the delay in constitution drafting.

Adhikari said they would launch sit-ins and, if need be, would go for relay hunger strikes to pressure their leadership to expedite the constitution-drafting process. He said CA was also missing its revised calendar of operation, according to which the first draft of the constitution should be ready by mid-November.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Prachanda+seeks+special+sess ion+of+parliament&NewsID=258557

[mosfeld]

Maoists to psyche up PLA for rehab, integration

KATHMANDU, Sept 22: As the proposed management of Maoist combatants gets set in motion, the UCPN(Maoist) is initiating a drive at all the cantonments to mentally prepare its combatants to brace themselves for their soon-to-be-launched integration and rehabilitation.

According to People´s Liberation Army (PLA) Spokesperson Chandra Prakash Khanal aka Baldev, the PLA integration bureau is launching a program to make PLA members aware of the integration and rehabilitation and their recently-finalized code of conduct, and to prepare them accordingly.

The UCPN(Maoist) move follows a similar move by the government. On Sunday, the prime minister had directed all heads of security agencies to be prepared for integration of the combatants in their respective forces and plan accordingly.

"I am visiting the cantonments in the western region for this purpose," Maoist leader Janardan Sharma told Republica on Tuesday. "We want to prepared them [for integration and rehabilitation] so that they will not become confused [when management of the combatants finally takes place]."

Sharma, who left Kathmandu for the western region Tuesday afternoon, further said that they will instruct the PLA members why they are going to be integrated and rehabilitated.

Maoist leader Kul Bahadur KC, a member on the technical committee under the Special Committee - a government body formed to oversee combatants´ management - said Deputy Commanders Sharma, Barshaman Pun, Nanda Kishor Pun and Khanal are visiting all 28 cantonments in the coming days.

"They will also collect suggestions [from PLA members on integration and rehabilitation]," said KC.

This development follows a recent agreement between the government and the UCPN(Maoist) to accomplish the outstanding tasks of the peace process ´basically´ before January 14, 2011. The UCPN(Maoist) drive is an important development against the backdrop of the Special Committee´s decision in principle to dissociate the Maoist combatants from the UCPN(Maoist) starting last Thursday.

Integration and rehabilitation of the 19,602 Maoist combatants is the key issue in the ongoing peace process that the parties plan to complete ´basically´ before January 14, 2011. Though management of combatants should have been completed much earlier, the parties have put this issue in motion now, installing hope in the stalled peace process.

The UCPN(Maoist) has already agreed with the government to start the process of integrating and rehabilitating their combatants as soon as a proposed secretariat - which will oversee management of the combatants - gets full shape. The 12-member secretariat will be formed once the UCPN(Maoist) nominates its representative. Though the party is sending Deputy Commander Nanda Kishor Pun to the secretariat, it is yet to inform the Special Committee officially.

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23565

[mosfeld]

Maoists against hydropower projects under foreign investment

KATHMANDU: Nepal's Maoists have voiced their opposition to hydropower projects being developed in the country through foreign investment, including from India.

Unified CPN-Maoist's Standing Committee member and Energy Department chief Lila Mani Pokharel said the party would protest against any hydropower project that would be developed through foreign investment.

The Maoists have decided to oppose those projects which they thought would be against national interest, he told reporters here.

In a separate statement, Maoists demanded review of terms and conditions of water resources project that have not gone through parliamentary endorsement as per the interim Constitution.

Contracts and agreements reached with foreign multinationals -- including Indian companies -- should be presented in a transparent manner before Parliament for approval, Pokharel said.

The Maoists have demanded contracts and agreements on the West Seti, Upper Karnali, Aurn III Upper Karnali and Upper Marsyangdi among others should be presented for deliberations in Parliament's committee on Natural Resources.

These projects were being selected and developed through tender process at the initiative of Nepal Electricity Authority.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI) have expressed serious concern over the Maoists' announcement to obstruct the operation of various hydropower projects.

FNCCI chairman Kush Kumar Joshi asked the Maoists to withdraw their decision.

Such things will discourage foreign investment in the hydropower sector at a time when the country is in the dire need of foreign capital and technology to fulfil the domestic resource gap, the NICCI said in a statement.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Maoists-against-hydropower-projects-under-foreign-investment/articleshow/6620088.cms

[Saorsa]

Camp visits will lessen disputes in party: Maoist

TEK NARAYAN BHATTARAI

PALPA, Sept 25: UCPN (Maoist) Central Committee member Top Bahadur Rayamajhi has said that their fresh program of visiting cantonments is aimed at disseminating party leaders´ three different reports to the party´s lower level and also make party cadres familiar with the reports

Talking to Republica, Rayamajhi, who is close to party vice chairman Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai, claimed that their fresh campaign will help diminish the internal conflict the party has been confronting for long.



"Our main objective of visiting different cantonments is to support combatants to understand the gist of party leaders´ three different reports tabled in party meeting concluded recently," said Rayamajhi, adding, "Our campaign will also help them hold discussions and interaction on contemporary issues."

He admitted that there are numerous internal conflicts and contentious issues in the Maoist party. "We are the largest party in the CA. So, we have numerous conflicts and undecided issues in the party," he said, adding, "We want to settle such issues by collecting feedback from cadres."

"Our campaign will also help the party leadership reach the right conclusions on various contradicting issues," he said.

Rayamajhi also informed that party´s extended meeting to be held in October in Chitwan, will decide the party´s true line.

He further clarified that party´s future line could be of practical provided that the decisions are taken consulting cadres and party´s rank and file.

Rayamajhi admitted that the trend of protesting against India publicly but courting the southern neighbor through servile attitude exists in the Maoist party.

He reiterated that the new government should be formed under Maoist leadership. "All options are open for having a prime minister from our party," he claimed.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23671

[RED DAVE]

He reiterated that the new government should be formed under Maoist leadership. "All options are open for having a prime minister from our party," he claimed.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23671After all, it worked so well last time.

RED DAVE

[A Revolutionary Tool]

UCPN (M) finally suspends Kham; another CC member gets boot for financial misconduct

The Unified CPN (Maoist) has suspended central committee member and commander of the 5th Division of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Kali Bahadur Kham 'Bibidh' in view of the accusations of the murder of Ram Hari Shrestha of Koteshwor and the looting of Chinese traders a couple of months ago. Likewise, central member Ram Prasad Banjade has been suspended for financial irregularities.

According to Maoist spokesperson Dina Nath Sharma, Kham has been suspended "for some time" for investigation on the accusations against him.

Police had arrested Kham's aides with the Yarsagumba and cash looted from Chinese traders in Kathmandu. But he has been denying involvement in the looting.

Kham is the main accused in the Shrestha murder case and is in the wanted list of the Nepal Police.

Likewise, the Maoist party has suspended Banjade from the central committee for six months for his involvement in financial irregularities when he was Nawalparasi district in-charge of the party during the insurgency.

Before being appointed CC member, Banjade was a senior leader of the Maoist student wing, All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary).

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9371-ucpn-m-finally-suspends-kham-another-cc-member-gets-boot-for-financial-misconduct.html

[RED DAVE]

UCPN (M) finally suspends Kham; another CC member gets boot for financial misconduct

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9371-ucpn-m-finally-suspends-kham-another-cc-member-gets-boot-for-financial-misconduct.htmlIt would be easy to take cheap shots, talk about incipient state capitalism, etc., but that's not my point.

The Nepalese Maoists have been playing footsie with the bourgeoisie ever since they agreed to enter into negotiations with bourgeois parties to form a bourgeois government.

This is the consequence of this "Prachandra Path." What's amazing is not that this has happened but that it has so far happened so seldom.

RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

Kham has not been handed over to the police. The Maoists are refusing to allow him to be put through the bourgeois legal system. Dual power allows the Maoists to protect their own. This is a concession to try and push negotiations forward.

As for the other guy, his actions took place during the People's War and have only just been investigated and dealt with. So neither of these examples have anything to do with the UCPN (M) 'playing footsie with the bourgeoisie ever since they agreed to enter into negotiations'.

[Saorsa]

PLA wants integration modality, assurance on statute

KIRAN CHAPAGAIN

KATHMANDU, Sept 30: People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commanders in the cantonments have sought from their leadership a clear-cut modality for integration and rehabilitation, and a credible assurance of the writing of a new constitution before they are formally brought under the command and control of the Special Committee, a government-formed body for supervising, integrating and rehabilitating Maoist combatants.

PLA commanders forwarded their conditions to their deputy commanders who have been touring different cantonments to prepare PLA members for the much-awaited process of integration and rehabilitation of over 19,000 ex-Maoist army personnel.



“They asked us about the modality of their integration and rehabilitation and sought credible assurances about the writing of a new constitution that will reflect their aspirations for change, including a guarantee on state restructuring,” Janardan Sharma, a member on the Special Committee who visited the cantonments to brief combatants about recent developments concerning management of ex-Maoist fighters, told Republica Tuesday.

All PLA deputy commanders have been touring major cantonments to brief commanders about the September 16 decision of the Special Committee to in principle dissociate the PLA from the Maoist party. PLA members have also been apprised of the code of conduct finalized for them by the Special Committee and feedback solicited on the proposed integration and rehabilitation.

The Technical Committee is currently discussing the modality of integration. But discussions are far from headed for consensus. Sharma said this question should be decided politically.

Sharma, a former peace and reconstruction minister, said the PLA are very concerned over the stalled constitution-drafting process and want to see the parties agree on key contentious issues.

“They told us it will not be acceptable for them to see the peace process completed by the agreed deadline [basically January 14] with constitution writing remaining unfinished. They want to see both processes progress side by side,” Sharma further said when asked about PLA concerns.

Sharma, sharing the PLA’s sentiments, said the peace process is likely to hit deadlock if PLA members are not assured of a new constitution getting drafted.

“If constitution drafting does not progress, neither will the peace process,” Sharma said about feedback from the PLA.

Asked whether this was the party strategy, he added, “Isn’t it a natural thing?”

On the rehabilitation package, Sharma said combatants are suspicious that the fate of disqualified combatants will be repeated and want to know about the package before their management commences. Disqualified combatants were returned home early this year despite their reservations over the rehabilitation packages. “Unless we satisfy their questions relating to such packages, it will create hurdles,” Sharma warned.

Asked about the kind of rehabilitation package his party preferred, Sharma said, “Such a package should honor the contribution of the PLA, besides guaranteeing their future.”
Sharma said his party is flexible over any of the three modalities of integration. The models include: forming a new army of an agreed size including members from the PLA; constituting a new force comprising equal numbers from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and the PLA; and having a separate security force of PLA members.

“Any of the modalities will be acceptable to us,” said Sharma, who left Kathmandu to visit cantonments in Nawalparasi Wednesday.

To another question, Sharma said the proposed secretariat for overseeing integration and rehabilitate will get final shape when the Special Committee convenes on Friday. He said his party has claimed leadership of the secretariat and is nominating Nanda Kishor Pun as PLA representative for the purpose. He added that his party has differences with the government over the choice of head of the 12-member secretariat.

“If our choice is given to head the secretariat, it will help move the process smoothly since it is a matter related to the psychology of PLA members,” he said, justifying his party’s claim to the secretariat leadership.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23822

[RED DAVE]

PLA wants integration modality, assurance on statute

KIRAN CHAPAGAIN

KATHMANDU, Sept 30: People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commanders in the cantonments have sought from their leadership a clear-cut modality for integration and rehabilitation, and a credible assurance of the writing of a new constitution before they are formally brought under the command and control of the Special Committee, a government-formed body for supervising, integrating and rehabilitating Maoist combatants.

PLA commanders forwarded their conditions to their deputy commanders who have been touring different cantonments to prepare PLA members for the much-awaited process of integration and rehabilitation of over 19,000 ex-Maoist army personnel.

“They asked us about the modality of their integration and rehabilitation and sought credible assurances about the writing of a new constitution that will reflect their aspirations for change, including a guarantee on state restructuring,” Janardan Sharma, a member on the Special Committee who visited the cantonments to brief combatants about recent developments concerning management of ex-Maoist fighters, told Republica Tuesday.

All PLA deputy commanders have been touring major cantonments to brief commanders about the September 16 decision of the Special Committee to in principle dissociate the PLA from the Maoist party. PLA members have also been apprised of the code of conduct finalized for them by the Special Committee and feedback solicited on the proposed integration and rehabilitation.

The Technical Committee is currently discussing the modality of integration. But discussions are far from headed for consensus. Sharma said this question should be decided politically.

Sharma, a former peace and reconstruction minister, said the PLA are very concerned over the stalled constitution-drafting process and want to see the parties agree on key contentious issues.

“They told us it will not be acceptable for them to see the peace process completed by the agreed deadline with constitution writing remaining unfinished. They want to see both processes progress side by side,” Sharma further said when asked about PLA concerns.

Sharma, sharing the PLA’s sentiments, said the peace process is likely to hit deadlock if PLA members are not assured of a new constitution getting drafted.

“If constitution drafting does not progress, neither will the peace process,” Sharma said about feedback from the PLA.

Asked whether this was the party strategy, he added, “Isn’t it a natural thing?”

On the rehabilitation package, Sharma said combatants are suspicious that the fate of disqualified combatants will be repeated and want to know about the package before their management commences. Disqualified combatants were returned home early this year despite their reservations over the rehabilitation packages. “Unless we satisfy their questions relating to such packages, it will create hurdles,” Sharma warned.

Asked about the kind of rehabilitation package his party preferred, Sharma said, “Such a package should honor the contribution of the PLA, besides guaranteeing their future.”

Sharma said his party is flexible over any of the three modalities of integration. The models include: forming a new army of an agreed size including members from the PLA; constituting a new force comprising equal numbers from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and the PLA; and having a separate security force of PLA members.

“Any of the modalities will be acceptable to us,” said Sharma, who left Kathmandu to visit cantonments in Nawalparasi Wednesday.

To another question, Sharma said the proposed secretariat for overseeing integration and rehabilitate will get final shape when the Special Committee convenes on Friday. He said his party has claimed leadership of the secretariat and is nominating Nanda Kishor Pun as PLA representative for the purpose. He added that his party has differences with the government over the choice of head of the 12-member secretariat.

“If our choice is given to head the secretariat, it will help move the process smoothly since it is a matter related to the psychology of PLA members,” he said, justifying his party’s claim to the secretariat leadership.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23822(emph. added)

What is the meaning of this in the context of continued attempts by the Maoists to form a bourgeous government on the one hand and discussions of renewal of the armed struggle on the other hand?

[B]RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

There is no discussion of a return to the guerrilla war. The Maoists have no plans to go back in time as if the past five years never happened. When they talk of a people's revolt, they're talking about urban insurrections.

It means what it says it means really. The PLA is to be *officially* seperated from the UCPN (M) and put under the control of the Army Integration Special Committee. The PLA fighters will be banned from singing communsit songs, wearing communist insignia etc.

It's a tactical move to push forward army integration.

[RED DAVE]

Futile election in Nepal adding fuel to deadlock
by Sweta Baniya


KATHMANDU, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Nepali Parliament has been stuck into repeated futile elections to choose a new government leadership since July 21 after the caretaker Prime Minister resigned from his post on June 30.

On Thursday [September 30], the parliamentarians voted for the 11th time for choosing PM with confirmation of the election turning into futile.

The number of participation of the Constituent Assembly members is decreasing one election after another. Since 8th run off poll the number has decreased below 200.

The 10th and 11th run-off election was held consecutively that is on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

There were only 145 Constituent Assembly members presented in the parliament for voting on Thursday's election. Of them 104 vote for the Prime Ministerial candidate, one voted against and 40 remain neutral in the election.

As per the rule the prime ministerial candidate has to get simple majority votes -- 301 votes out of 599 lawmakers in the parliament.

Nepali political parties are struggling hard to find a way out from the current deadlock. However no consensus is met yet regarding the prominent issues of the nation.

The prominent issue of the nation that is constitution drafting, peace process, army integration among others are being side-lined due to lack of consensus forged among the political parties.

The major political parties are adamant over their stances rather than concerning over forging consensus.

The candidate of Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Jhalanath Khanal withdrew his candidacy in the name of forging national consensus after the first run off poll.

Likewise, another candidate Unified Communist Party of Nepal ( Maoist) (UCPN-M) Chairman Prachanda withdrew his candidacy during the 8th run-off election.

UCPN-M and CPN-UML had asked Speaker Nemwang to suspend the clause on prime ministerial election to end the impasse by using his privileged power.

However, Speaker Nemwang has already made it clear the process will continue until leader Paudel withdraws his candidacy as per the parliamentary regulations.

Regardless of repeated failure of election, the election is on going just because the sole candidate has not withdrawn.

On the other hand, Poudel who is repeatedly been urged by other political parties to withdraw his candidacy has decided not to withdraw until the confirmation of the peace process and constitution.

This repeated failure has created dissatisfaction on general Nepali people. Moreover, the current crisis is deepening due to the failing election.
The 12th Prime Ministerial election run off has been scheduled for Oct.10.(emph added)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-10/07/c_13546063.htm

Yep, that's what Marxists do: forge consensus in a bourgeois parliament.

RED DAVE

[chegitz guevara]

CPN(UML) isn't very Marxist.

[Saorsa]

Maoists must get leadership of unity govt: Bhattarai
Monday, 11 October 2010 16:28

Maoist vice chairman Baburam Bhattarai Monday reiterated that the UCPN (Maoist) as the largest party in the Constituent Assembly must get the leadership of the proposed national unity government.

"UCPN (M) is more than double the size of the second largest party in the CA," Bhattarai said speaking at a tea reception organised by the party's local committee in Banepa of Kavre on Monday, "Therefore UCPN (M) must get the government's leadership."

He also said the Maoist party has no confusion that a government without the Maoists taking the lead cannot be called "national unity government". The peace process cannot come to a conclusion without the involvement of the Maoist party, he added.

The Maoist leader revealed that "regressive forces" were provoking his party to ruin the achievements made so far.

"But we are not going to be provoked," he said, adding that some elements were conspiring to dissolve the CA and revive the old political order.

Bhattarai also blamed the Nepali Congress for the current deadlock. "Ram Chandra Poudel should withdraw his prime ministerial candidacy for consensus."

'India trying to divide Maoist party'

Maoist politburo member Agni Sapkota has accused India of "trying to divide the UCPN by taking some people in its hand".

Speaking at the Reporters Club in Kathmandu Monday, Sapkota, who is said to be one of the confidants of party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, said the "shoe attack" on Indian ambassador Rakesh Sood in Solukhumbu was a reaction to the Indian attempt to break the party.

He, however, didn't name the people who were playing into India's hand.

Arguing that ambassador Sood crossed all diplomatic limits by visiting parts of Solukhumbu district, Sapkota said the Maoist party would foil the Indian attempt to divide it. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9801-maoists-must-get-leadership-of-unity-govt-bhattarai.html

(Is the part in bold a polemic against Kiran's wing of the party?)

[Saorsa]

Bhattarai warns of clash of armies in post-UNMIN Nepal
No end to stalemate sans Maoist govt
Added At: 2010-10-11 4:07 PM Last Updated At: 2010-10-11 4:13 PM

BANEPA: UCPN-Maoist vice chairman Baburam Bhattarai on Monday warned of an escalation of conflict in the country if the peace process is not concluded in due time once the United Nations Mission to Nepal (UNMIN) departs in January.

Speaking at a programme in Banepa today, Bhattarai said there is risk of conflict between the national army and the Maoist fighters, who are now in the UNMIN-monitored cantonment if the peace process is not completed before the mission departs.

Bhattarai also said the ongoing PM election procedure should be promptly stopped and NC candidate Ram Chandra Paudel, now the lone candidate left in the PM fray, should withdraw to clear the way for a consensus government.

He further stressed that the next government should be formed under his party's leadership as the single largest party in the parliament. The country could not get rid of the current stalemate if Maoists are kept out of government, he said.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Bhattarai+warns+of+clash+of+ armies+in+post-UNMIN+Nepal&NewsID=261406

[Saorsa]

Parties form high-level taskforce to sort out differences on statute writing
Monday, 11 October 2010 17:25

Leaders of all the 27 political parties in the Constituent Assembly (CA) Monday formed a seven-member task force that comprises top leaders of various parties for sorting out differences in constitution writing and completing the remaining tasks of the peace process.

A meeting of all 27 parties held in the CA building this afternoon formed the taskforce.

"The objective behind this is to sort out differences among the parties regarding the statute writing and peace process," Maoist vice chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha told reporters after the meeting.

The seven-member taskforce comprises of chairman of the Unified CPN (Maoist) Puspha Kamal Dahal, UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Poudel, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum chairman Upendra Yadav, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party chairman Narayanman Bijukchhe, lawmaker Rukmini Chaudhari and Prem Bahadur Singh of Samajbadi Prajatantrik Dal.

According to Shrestha, the taskforce will submit its report on October 24. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/9803-parties-form-high-level-taskforce-to-sort-out-differences-on-statute-writing.html

[Saorsa]

November 14th will be a very important date...

Maoist extended CC meet postponed again
Saturday, 09 October 2010 10:33

The extended Central Committee (CC) meeting of Unified CPN (Maoist) slated for October 29 in Palungtar of Gorkha has been postponed again.

An office-bearers meeting at party headquarters, Parisdanda Saturday morning decided to call the extended CC meeting at the same venue from November 14.

The meeting has been postponed due to the festival season and chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's planned China visit.

This is the second time the extended CC meet has been deferred. Earlier, the party had called the extended CC meet in Chitwan from October 29.

The venue was changed to Gorkha due to the spread of dengue and viral fever in Chitwan.

The extended CC meet is considered very important as it is expected to resolve the ongoing differences on the party policy, programmes and strategies among the top three leaders. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/9745-maoist-extended-cc-meet-postponed-again.html

[Saorsa]

Dahal asks new entrants to prepare for final battle

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Oct 9: Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Saturday that the country could see a final battle between those for the peace process and those against it. "Now it is almost certain that there will be a battle between those for and against the peace process.

It could even be a final battle," said Dahal while welcoming youth leaders who defected from the CPN-ML to the Maoist party, at a function in Kathmandu. He pointed out the need for unity among the leftists, nationalists and republicans to save the country from sliding into crisis.



The Maoist Chairman argued that there is no other option other than preparing for the final battle to save the nationality. "The youths should be ready to make any kind of sacrifice to foil the conspiracy against the peace process and constitution drafting," he said. General Secretary of the CPN-ML aligned Progressive Youths Union Haribansa Mainali and 18 other leaders defected to the Maoist party on Saturday.

Maoist plenum postponed to Nov 14

The UCPN (Maoist) has postponed the much-talked about party plenum to Nov 14, citing the forthcoming festivals of Dashain and Tihar and the visit by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to China. The plenum will be held in Gorkha, the same venue fixed earlier.

The top office bearers of the Maoist party took a decision to this effect on Saturday.

The party stated that Dahal would leave for China on October 22 to participate in Shanghai Expo. Earlier, the party had decided to hold the plenum on October 23 in Chitwan, but the venue was shifted to Gorkha district for October 29 due to dengue outbreak in Chitwan. It´s the third time that the party has changed the date for the plenum.

The forthcoming Maoist plenum is being seen with special interest as separate political documents prepared by the top three leader - Dahal and vice-chairmen Mohan Baidya and Dr Baburam Bhattarai-are likely to be debated in the meeting.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=24168

[mosfeld]

Prachanda says Nepal Maoists have no LeT links




The Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (UCPN-M) has strongly denied the allegation that it has links with terrorist outfit Lashkar-eToiba, saying that the accusation is a “conspiracy under design”.



UCPN-M chairman Prachanda said that Indian media reports claiming that the Maoist party had a nexus with the terrorist outfit were part of a conspiracy to derail Nepal’s peace and constitution-drafting process. He also denied reports claiming that Indian Maoists had received training from the UCPN-M and said such reports were equally “baseless and fictitious”.



The statement came in reaction to a report in the Indian media about hundreds of Maoists from India being trained in Nepal by the Maoist party’s People’s Liberation Army and supervised by LeT terrorists.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Prachanda-says-Nepal-Maoists-have-no-LeT-links/696821

[mosfeld]

Nepal: Maoist Leader’s Reiterate-PLA Won’t Be Dissolved, YCL Will Expand

http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/pla.jpg?w=280&h=202

At a time when the UCPN (Maoist) is coming under increasing pressure to integrate its combatants, some Maoist leaders have said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will not be dissolved.

Speaking at a picnic organised by Maoist youth wing, Young Communist League (YCL) , Maoist standing committee member and the military in-charge Barshaman Pun said other parties were trying to ‘finish off’ the Maoist party by dissolving the PLA.

Pun, who is a member of the Special Committee for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants, said the Maoists will not give up arms before they are sure of the future of the peace process and the constitution-drafting.

Speaking at the same function, PLA chief Nanda Kishor Pun said that the PLA “is ready to make whatever sacrifice people want”.

Likewise, politburo member and former PLA deputy commander Janardan Sharma said the other parties were raising the issue of integration instead of concentrating on the constitution-drafting and that the PLA would not be dissolved unless the constitution and republican order are ensured.

He also said the party is not ready to disband the YCL, but will instead expand its organisational base.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/nepal-maoist-leaders-reiterate-pla-wont-be-dissolved-ycl-will-expand/

[mosfeld]

Nepal – PLA Slams Indian Allegation!

http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/naxilite.jpg?w=270&h=211

PLA Slams Indian Allegation of Naxalites Receiving Training in its Camps as ‘Propaganda’

Nepal News 12 October 2010

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday refuted the news about Nepal’s Maoists imparting training to Indian Maoists on Nepali soil as ‘baseless and ficticious.”

Issuing a statement on today, PLA chief Pasang expressed regret at these kinds of “baseless and ficticious propaganda” and said he completely denounces it.

In a report that appeared in Monday’s edition of the Indian Express newspaper, the Indian government claimed that Indian Maoists sneak into Nepali territory to get training from the Maoists’ PLA fighters and international terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Toiba.

According to report, the Indian Home Ministry gave the details of the movement of Maoists from India to Nepal and vice-versa and requested the Maoist Naxalite-hit states “to stay on high alert in the fight against Naxalites.”

The report said that the Indian home ministry note says that on June 28, the Maoists from Andhra Pradesh who were led by Comrade Pankaj from Bihar, crossed over to Malangwa in Nepal and joined 20 trainees undergoing training in the PLA camp.

In the statement Pasang said that these kinds of allegation has only raised suspicion whether some forces are conspiring to derail the ongoing peace process and constitution writing in Nepal in order to create a premise for greater intervention in the country’s internal affairs.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/nepal-pla-slams-indian-allegation/

[Saorsa]

Violation of peace agreement if caretaker govt brings in budget: Gurung
Tuesday, 19 October 2010 09:24

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/pic/profile_dev_gurung.jpg

Unified CPN (Maoist) leader Dev Gurung

UCPN (Maoist) Standing Committee member Dev Gurung has said that the caretaker government does not have the right to bring in the full budget under any circumstances, warning that if it does so then that will be construed as a violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Speaking at an interaction in the capital Monday, he further argued that the current caretaker government does not also have the "moral authority" to present a full budget at the House.

Gurung also said that if the current government brings in the budget then such a move will be against the "interim constitution".

"As the main opposition party, UCPN (Maoist) would not allow anybody to violate or go against the interim constitution," he said. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9918-violation-of-peace-agreement-if-caretaker-govt-brings-in-budget-gurung.html

[mosfeld]

UCPN-M to become flexible on key issues in new constitution

The Unified CPN (Maoist) has decided to become more flexible on some disputed issues in the new constitution on Wednesday.

A meeting of the office-bearers at chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s residence in Nayabazaar this morning started discussion on the disputed issues and decided to withdraw its stance in some of the key issues.

A high-level party source told Nepalnews on condition of anonymity, the meeting dwelt on categorizing issues in which the party retain its stances and those in which it will backtrack. However, the stances which the party has decided to withdraw are not known yet.

Informing reporters about the meeting Maoist vice chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said, we have decided to become more flexible on issues related to constitution drafting.

We also discussed on the preparation for the upcoming extended central committee meeting and reviewed the agreement in the high-level taskforce yesterday, Shrestha added.

Shrestha further said, the meeting decided to make the high-level task force more effective and start dialogues with other parties on disputed issues soon.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/9939-ucpn-m-to-become-flexible-on-key-issues-in-new-constitution.html

[mosfeld]

UCPN-Maoist cadres held for supporting Indian comrades

PARASI: Indian police have arrested three Unified CPN-Maoist cadres on the charge of supporting Indian Maoists.

The arrested are Baliram Tharu, Jit Bahadur Chaudhari and Kabindra Chaudhari of Prasauni-3 in Nawalparasi district.

Balmiki Police Post at Bihar had nabbed the Maoist cadres on October 14.

The police post said it recovered Indian Maoists’ pamphlets and other documents from the three Maoist cadres.

A case has been filed against the detainees. Meanwhile, UCPN-Maoist Nawalparasi district sub in-charge Moti Rijal has confirmed that the arrestees are supporters of his party. Rijal claimed the Maoist cadres were arrested while they were returning home after medical treatment at Bhaisalotan of Balmikinagar.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=UCPN-Maoist+cadres+held+for+supporting+Indian+comrades&NewsID=262197&a=3

[RED DAVE]

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php

Various articles detailing how the Nepalese Maoists are participating in drawing up a thoroughly bourgeois constitution. Crucial "revolutionary" issues inlude a presidential or prime ministerial form of government, bicameral or unicameral parliament.

As we write, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is leading a taskforce and negotiating.


A meeting of high-level taskforce headed by Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Tuesday agreed on nine disputed issues seen during the constitution drafting process.

The seven-member taskforce held discussion on various 11 thorny issues pending at different committees of the Constituent Assembly and agreed on nine of them. However, system of governance and the electoral system are yet to be finalised.

The Unified CPN (Maoist) has been lobbying for executive presidential system in which opposition will have no role in the parliament while CPN-UML and Nepali Congress (NC) are in favour of executive prime minister with ceremonial role for the president as the head of state.

Taskforce member and minister for law and justice, Prem Bahadur Singh, said, "We agreed on nine disputed issues. The next meeting will discuss and try to finalise the remaining agendas."

According to minister Singh, today's meeting held in Singha Durbar decided to curtail the rights of head of federal state during emergency period and set up parliaments at local level, among others.

The next meeting of the taskforce is scheduled for Thursday. nepalnews.comhttp://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/9928-taskforce-finalises-nine-disputed-issues.html

Supporters of the UCPN(M) have stated that:

(1) The "comprador" bourgeoisie are the main enemy inside Nepal;

(2) The Maoists will work with the "native, patriotic" bourgeoisie as part of the revolutionary process and

(3) The Maoists oppose the compradors as imperialist.

(4) The Congress Party, which the Maoists are engaged in negotiations with, is held to be the comprador party.

Deeper and deeper into the parliamentary cesspool.

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

UCPN-M to be flexible for peace, constitution


KATHMANDU: The Unified CPN (Maoist) has decided to exercise maximum flexibility for the peace and the new constitution.

A meeting of the party's central office-bearers that took place at Prachanda's residence in Nayabazar on Wednesday decided to move ahead by exercising flexibility to forge consensus with other political parties to bring the peace process to a logical end and accomplish the task of drafting the constitution on time.

Talking to journalists following the meeting, UCPN (Maoist) Vice-chairperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the meeting reviewed the works carried out by the taskforce formed to intensify the task of constitution drafting and concluded to move forward with maximum flexibility for the peace building and constitution drafting.(emph. added)

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=UCPN-M+to+be+flexible+for+peace%2C+constitution&NewsID=262297

RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

None of these developments are particularly new Dave. Similar statements are made by all the parties every week, I don't even bother to post them any more.

This is not a constitution being put together. This is a taskforce (which has no constitutional authority) discussing a set of hypothetical issues that the parties currently disagree on.

Incidentally, you've stated several times in various threads that the Maoists are currently taking part in a 'bourgeois government'. You're well aware they are not part of the Nepali government. Technically there is no government in Nepal right now - the government resigned months ago and the parliament has been unable to elect a new one. The caretaker government has no mandate to pass a budget or do anything much at all.

Sectarianism is one thing. Slander is another. Try and stick to the former.

[RED DAVE]

None of these developments are particularly new Dave. Similar statements are made by all the parties every week, I don't even bother to post them any more.

This is not a constitution being put together. This is a taskforce (which has no constitutional authority) discussing a set of hypothetical issues that the parties currently disagree on.This taskforce is a set of negotiations, between a revolutionary party and bourgeois parties, one of which is termed the main comprador party, to establish a bourgeois constitution.


Incidentally, you've stated several times in various threads that the Maoists are currently taking part in a 'bourgeois government'. You're well aware they are not part of the Nepali government. Technically there is no government in Nepal right now - the government resigned months ago and the parliament has been unable to elect a new one. The caretaker government has no mandate to pass a budget or do anything much at all.The caretaker government is being supported by the Maoists. They are permitting it to maintain an army and police in the cities and the countryside. The are supporting this government.


Sectarianism is one thing. Slander is another. Try and stick to the former.Criticism is not sectarianism. Maoists have never learned to experience the former.

RED DAVE

[Monkey Riding Dragon]

The "caretaker government" is logically analogous to the Russian Provisional Government. It was the Menshevik approach to seek the reforming thereof, and the Bolshevik approach to seek the revolutionary overthrow thereof. But you all know my views on that subject, so I'd like to move on to a different one:


PARASI: Indian police have arrested three Unified CPN-Maoist cadres on the charge of supporting Indian Maoists.

The arrested are Baliram Tharu, Jit Bahadur Chaudhari and Kabindra Chaudhari of Prasauni-3 in Nawalparasi district.

Balmiki Police Post at Bihar had nabbed the Maoist cadres on October 14.

The police post said it recovered Indian Maoists’ pamphlets and other documents from the three Maoist cadres.
A case has been filed against the detainees. Meanwhile, UCPN-Maoist Nawalparasi district sub in-charge Moti Rijal has confirmed that the arrestees are supporters of his party. Rijal claimed the Maoist cadres were arrested while they were returning home after medical treatment at Bhaisalotan of Balmikinagar.

Tsk tsk, yeah can't have revolutionary internationalism, can you? :rolleyes:

What's worth noting here is that the UCPN(M) *officially* doesn't provide support to the Naxalite people's war in India. What this news seems to suggest is that perhaps the party is not so completely under the control of the central apparatus then and that perhaps various parts are acting on their own accord...which, IMO, would be a very good thing! I for one am very glad to hear that there are at least some comrades in the UCPN(M) who are providing assistance to their comrades in neighboring India.

[RED DAVE]

The "caretaker government" is logically analogous to the Russian Provisional Government. It was the Menshevik approach to seek the reforming thereof, and the Bolshevik approach to seek the revolutionary overthrow thereof.Correct, and bizarre that Maoists either deny that this happened or claim that, somehow, Nepal (or China) are different from Russia.


What's worth noting here is that the UCPN(M) *officially* doesn't provide support to the Naxalite people's war in India. What this news seems to suggest is that perhaps the party is not so completely under the control of the central apparatus then and that perhaps various parts are acting on their own accord...which, IMO, would be a very good thing! I for one am very glad to hear that there are at least some comrades in the UCPN(M) who are providing assistance to their comrades in neighboring India.It would also be nice of the UCPN(M) (or the Naxalites) gave some kind of support to the mass strikes that have taken place in Bangladesh. I suspect, though, that since this represents independent action of the working class, the Maoists won't touch it.

RED DAVE

[The Vegan Marxist]

It would also be nice of the UCPN(M) (or the Naxalites) gave some kind of support to the mass strikes that have taken place in Bangladesh. I suspect, though, that since this represents independent action of the working class, the Maoists won't touch it.


And the Naxalites' support in the working class independence revolt in Kashmir isn't a sign of such? Sure, it's not your Bangladesh workers, but it's the Indian Maoists showing support in other movements other than themselves.

[RED DAVE]

And the Naxalites' support in the working class independence revolt in Kashmir isn't a sign of such? Sure, it's not your Bangladesh workers, but it's the Indian Maoists showing support in other movements other than themselves.All support is welcome. But I find it bizarre that the neither the UCPN(M) nor the Naxalites could, as far as we know, spare a few words for the Bangldeshi workers. If there were mass strikes in Canada or Mexico, it would be damn suspicious if a US group failed even to mention them.

Remember that provinciality is a hallmark of Maoism.

RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

All we know Dave is that they haven't released statements about the strikes in English for the benefit of their small and scattered international support networks in the West... support networks that people like you are actively trying to wreck.

I suspect they have mentioned the strikes in some of the hundreds of publications they have in dozens of different languages which I can't read and nobody has put on the internet.

This is common fucking sense. It pains me to have to explain it to you.

You don't listen when people engage with you. You just keep bringing up the same sectarian bullshit attacks, over and over and over again. It's incredibly frustrating and frankly I'm starting to be convinced that debating you is just a waste of time.

[RED DAVE]

All we know Dave is that they haven't released statements about the strikes in English for the benefit of their small and scattered international support networks in the West... support networks that people like you are actively trying to wreck.That's a political slander, Comrade. Don't blame me if you can't tell the difference between legitimate criticism and wrecking. All you are doing is mimicking the standard stalinist criticism against Trotskyists.


I suspect they have mentioned the strikes in some of the hundreds of publications they have in dozens of different languages which I can't read and nobody has put on the internet.

This is common fucking sense. It pains me to have to explain it to you.It is not "common fucking sense." It is political provincialism for them not to post something. And yes, that's legitimate criticism. They have time to negotiate with the Congress Party, but no time to put out a few words for the world about striking workers across the border.


You don't listen when people engage with you.I listen quite well. I just disagree.


You just keep bringing up the same sectarian bullshit attacks, over and over and over again.My attacks are neither sectarian nor bullshit. When a evolutionary party is actively engaged with bourgeois parties for the formation of a bourgeois constitution, that's grounds for concern that is neither sectarian nor bullshit.


It's incredibly frustrating and frankly I'm starting to be convinced that debating you is just a waste of time.For you, who frequently act as a cheerleader, honestly analyzing the game may well be non-normal activity.

RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

That's a political slander, Comrade. Don't blame me if you can't tell the difference between legitimate criticism and wrecking. All you are doing is mimicking the standard stalinist criticism against Trotskyists.

You live in the US. The US government still places the UCPN (M) on its terrorist watchlist, making it a crime to give them material support. Are you doing anything to challenge this? Are you spreading awareness of the revolution amongst workers and progressive people in America?

Because if you're not, it would seem your only engagement with the revolution in Nepal is to slander and lie about it and tell people not to support it. You are basically being destructive rather than constructive. Please, prove me wrong. Nothing would make me happier.


It is not "common fucking sense."

Yes, it is. You are assuming and asserting that the Maoists have not mentioned the strikes or declared any support for them. You have no evidence either way, yet you assume that the Maoists have not mentioned it in any publication, any speeches, in any languages or in any locations. Unless you know something the rest of us don't, stop making these claims.


It is political provincialism for them not to post something.

:lol:

What would be a more valuable and effective way to support the strikes in Bangladesh? To raise the issue in Nepali, in Hindi, in the hundreds of smaller languages spoken in Nepal... to raise the issue among the Maoist support base, which includes Nepali garment workers... or to issue an internet press release about it?

The Maoists have a minimal internet presence. It's a real problem, in my opinion. They rarely update their websites and when they do they don't post much. In that context, it is ridiculous for you to make such a big deal about this one thing they haven't mentioned in the handful of English language materials they have released in the past year.



And yes, that's legitimate criticism. They have time to negotiate with the Congress Party, but no time to put out a few words for the world about striking workers across the border.

How will it affect that struggle, or their own struggle, if they put out 'a few words'?

How will it make any difference whatsoever?

Why are you focusing so much attention on this one issue?


I listen quite well. I just disagree.

You don't listen at all. you make claims, I prove that your claims are false, and then you make the claims again anyway.


For you, who frequently act as a cheerleader, honestly analyzing the game may well be non-normal activity.

I can understand how internationalism would sound like cheerleading to someone as sectarian as yourself.

[mosfeld]

Nepal's Maoist chief leaves for China

Kathmandu, Oct 22 (IANS) Ignoring a growing political crisis at home and a call by the UN to redouble work on the wilting peace process, the chief of Nepal's largest party, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, left for China Friday on a five-day visit that, he said, was 'non-political'.

The former revolutionary told journalists that he would be visiting Shanghai at the invitation of the organisers of Shanghai Expo 2010, followed by a trip to Beijing.

'When I went to China last year, I first met the Chinese president and prime minister,' the former prime minister said. 'At that time, the meetings had been fixed in advance.

'But this time, there are no such events though I could meet with some officials.'

This is Prachanda's fifth trip to the northern neighbour since he became Nepal's first Maoist prime minister following a historic election in 2008.

Accompanying him are Maoist MPs Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Agni Sapkota and Prachanda's nephew and aide Sameer Dahal.

Mahara, also the chief of the Maoists' foreign affairs, was embroiled in a controversy recently after a taped phone conversation showed him seeking money from a Chinese 'friend' to buy MPs and help Prachanda win the ongoing prime ministerial election.

The China trip means Prachanda and the two Maoist leaders will not take part in the 13th round of prime ministerial election scheduled Tuesday.

It will also mean the work of drafting a new constitution will receive a setback since Prachanda is the coordinator of the parliamentary committee formed to iron out differences among the parties on major debates about the nature of the new state of Nepal.

Time is running out for Nepal with less than three months left to address the fate of the Maoists' guerrilla army of about 19,500 fighters.

They have to be discharged and either inducted in the state army or rehabilitated by Jan 15, 2011, when the term of the UN agency supervising the guerrilla fighters ends.

The UN Security Council issued a statement Wednesday, urging the parties to redouble their efforts and complete the discharge by Jan 15.

Prachanda also leaves Nepal in a financial mess.

His party has not allowed the caretaker government to pass the new budget though the financial year in Nepal ended four months ago.

The state coffers have less than NRS 7 billion left and unless the new budget is passed soon, the government will be plunged into a dire financial crisis.

The Maoists say they want an agreement on power-sharing before they allow the budget to be passed.

http://sify.com/news/nepal-s-maoist-chief-leaves-for-china-news-international-kkwpkiadeia.html

Prachanda visiting China 'not to bring political changes'

KATHMANDU: UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ left for China on Friday morning. He is set to take part in the ongoing World Expo in Shanghai.

Before embarking on a four-day visit, Dahal said that there are possibilities of holding discussion with the Chinese political leaders during his stay in China.

He, however, said his trip does not aim at bringing any big change in the Nepal politics. Hinting at the current political crisis in the country, he said the domestic problems should be solved on our own.

Saying all the parties are concerned about the political instability, he expressed the hope that consensus would be formed among the parties soon.

The former rebel leader who succeeded the country’s prime minister after the Constituent Assembly elections in 2008 is scheduled to meet the central leaders of Chinese Communist Party and participate in an international press conference.

He would interact with the Nepali Diaspora in Shanghai.

Dahal is accompanied by his party’s foreign department chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara, politburo member Agni Sapkota and his personal secretary Sameer Dahal.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Prachanda+visiting+China+'no t+to+bring+political+changes'&NewsID=262552

PLA commanders' 'secret' China visit


KATHMANDU: Following a weeklong ‘secret’ visit to different parts of the People’s Republic of China, a team of commanders of the Unified CPN-Maoist Peoples Liberation Army arrived in Kathmandu this morning.

The team included Maoist military in-charge and standing committee member Barsha Man Pun his wife Onsari Gharti Magar, PLA deputy commander and politburo member Janardan Sharma , spokesperson Chandra Prakash Khanal, Second Division Commander Suk Bahadur Roka, Fourth Division Commander Tej Bahadur Oli and Sixth Division Commander Mahendra Bahadur Shahi.

Sources claimed that the team had met Chinese military officials besides meeting central leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. But top leaders opted to keep mum and said nothing except they were unaware of the visit.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=PLA+commanders'+'secret'+Chi na+visit&NewsID=262471

[mosfeld]

Nepal Maoists halt India-aided railway survey in Nepal

Kathmandu, Oct 22 (IANS) Keeping its sights trained on India-aided projects in Nepal, the opposition Maoist party has now obstructed the survey on a railway project in southern Nepal that is being funded by the Indian government to improve transport links between the two neighbouring countries and boost trade.

A detailed engineering survey of the 68km long railway linking India's border town Jaynagar with Nepal's Janakpur has been started by India's public sector undertaking RITES India Ltd as a first step to convert the narrow-gauge track into broad gauge and extend it to Bardibas town in Nepal's Mahottari district.

This is part of the railway infrastructure development project in Nepal aided by India as per a memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries in February.

In the MoU, India has pledged to develop Nepal's railway at five border points. These are Janakpur, (connected to Jaynagar in India), Biratnagar (linked with India's Jogbani), Nepalganj (connected to Nepalganj Road in India), Bhairahawa (linked with Nautanwa in India) and Kakarbhitta (to be linked with India's Jalpaiguri).

The Jaynagar-Janakpur conversion and its expansion have been accorded top priority and is expected to be completed by 2015.

According to India's Minister of State for Railways, K.H. Muniyappa, the Indian government has allocated Rs.447 crore for this part of the project.

After RITES India had completed survey on nearly 60km, work was brought to a standstill by villagers in Bardibas under the aegis of the Maoists.

Local Maoist leader Dev Narayan Mahato was reported as saying that the survey has been stopped because the project would lead to the displacement of about 200 families and the authorities had not informed the villagers about the consequences.

The protesters were also said to have uprooted survey poles erected near the Bardibas market.

The obstruction of the survey comes a month after the Maoists warned they would stop work on nearly a dozen hydropower projects as they were against 'national interests'. Most of these are being developed by Indian investors.

The Maoist opposition to Indian projects has been growing especially during prime ministerial elections in Nepal.

Since July, Nepal's parties held 12 rounds of election to choose a new prime minister but failed due to squabbles over power-sharing.

Now the 13th round of election is scheduled Tuesday.

The Maoists withdrew from the race after their chief, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, failed to win majority support even after inching very close. Prachanda's chances were spoilt by the leaking of a taped phone conversation between a top Maoist leader and an unnamed middleman in which the Maoist leader was heard seeking NRS 500 million to bribe 50 MPs into voting for his party chief.

The Maoists allege India is preventing the formation of a Maoist-led government in Nepal and have been trying to bear pressure on New Delhi by attacking Indian investments in Nepal.

http://sify.com/news/nepal-maoists-halt-india-aided-railway-survey-in-nepal-news-international-kkwnEljfhhj.html

[mosfeld]

Bhattarai wants a new deal


DHANGADHI: For a crisis-ridden country that has been listening silently to suggestions coming from the left, right, centre and beyond, UCPN-Maoist vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai offered a way out today.

Speaking at a press conference here, Maoist vice-chairman Bhattarai said political parties should go for a new agreement — like the 12-point accord reached between then seven-party alliance and the Maoists — to end the crisis.

The Maoist leader then talked of the sacrifices that the parties will have to make for the sake of the new deal. The parties, he said, should forget their petty interests, adding that his party was ready to exhibit maximum flexibility for such a deal.

Shifting focus on the caretaker government’s plan to bring a full-fledged budget, he termed it ‘ridiculous’.

As usual, he found time to ask the lone prime ministerial candidate, Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel, to quit the race for prime ministership and pave the way for a deal that will lead to the formation of a new government.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Bhattarai+wants+a+new+deal&NewsID=262502

[Barry Lyndon]

I hereby appoint RED DAVE Marxist pope.

[RED DAVE]

I hereby appoint RED DAVE Marxist pope.I will only accept if a majority of the College of Cardinals (red bird) elect me. :D

Also, I will not maintain personal celibacy; I will permit the clergy to marry; I will ordain women and gays; I will turn over the entire property of the Church to the working class.

And on the seventh day, I will rest.

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

The Maoist leader then talked of the sacrifices that the parties will have to make for the sake of the new deal. The parties, he said, should forget their petty interests, adding that his party was ready to exhibit maximum flexibility for such a deal.Spoken like a true Marxist revolutionary.

RED DAVE

[Lyev]

I don't really post enough on Nepal, I wish I kept myself a bit more updated on the situation. Disregarding his analysis of state-capitalism -- which is a whole other discussion -- I think I agree mostly with Dave. It seems to me that the further and further Prachanda, Bhattarai et al dig themselves into parliamentary politicking, and always vying back and forth for concessions from the bourgeois parties, the harder it is going to be to climb themselves out of this hole their digging. I'm sure Saorsa will come back at me with a slamming reply (and I only really ask this to stimulate debate and to find out more), but is the revolution dying, or has it sold out? Are all the articles about the status of the PLA, and expansion of the YCL, to try and assure themselves and their supporters that the Maoist movement in Nepal is not becoming lethargic? Anyway, there's one or two things I'll quickly comment on.

What would be a more valuable and effective way to support the strikes in Bangladesh? To raise the issue in Nepali, in Hindi, in the hundreds of smaller languages spoken in Nepal... to raise the issue among the Maoist support base, which includes Nepali garment workers... or to issue an internet press release about it?From my experience in Nepal and learning about the culture and history, most Nepalese have their own dialectic which correspondes to their ethnicity and region, like Gorka, Newari or whatever, but simply for the sake of ease of communication a large amount of Nepalese people share Nepali as a common, second language. I think roughly 60% of the population speak it. So I guess it's not that hard. (However, I don't think I've followed the debate properly so my comment might be a bit superfluous or out of place.)

And I think you've created somewhat of a false dichotomy here - it's not merely a case "either/or". I think Dave is saying they could do both. And it's funny that you say they have minimal internet presence, yet a while ago you were chatting about how they have Facebook now. You were talking to a Maoist on there; so why do they have time for that, but now the debate has twisted the other way, they're busy with other activities? Although, as I mentioned earlier, I may have misunderstood some of the debate here, so I apologise if my comments are misdirected.

[Saorsa]

I'm sure Saorsa will come back at me with a slamming reply (and I only really ask this to stimulate debate and to find out more), but is the revolution dying, or has it sold out?

Heh, there's nothing wrong with your post. No need to 'slam' it. You don't spread lies about what's happening to try and weaken international solidarity for the movement, so I have no beef with you at all. Other people on this forum though...

In answer to your question, I don't think the revolution has sold out and I don't think it's dying. The revolution is locked in a strategic stalemate, and it is trying to find a way to break out. Ultimately nobody can say what methods are necessary to bring down the Nepali ruling class, the people of Nepal will have to figure that out themselves. The answers do not lie in history books and they certainly don't lie in the advice of First World Marxists who can't even build a support base amongst workers in their own location.


Are all the articles about the status of the PLA, and expansion of the YCL, to try and assure themselves and their supporters that the Maoist movement in Nepal is not becoming lethargic?

Considering that most of the articles posted in this forum are written by the Nepali corporate media, I doubt their intention is to raise the morale of the Maoist cadres. Quite the opposite.


From my experience in Nepal and learning about the culture and history, most Nepalese have their own dialectic which correspondes to their ethnicity and region, like Gorka, Newari or whatever, but simply for the sake of ease of communication a large amount of Nepalese people share Nepali as a common, second language. I think roughly 60% of the population speak it. So I guess it's not that hard. (However, I don't think I've followed the debate properly so my comment might be a bit superfluous or out of place.)

My point was that since none of us speak Nepali or have access to most of the publications the Maoists put out in Nepal, we have no idea whether they have mentioned the Bangladeshi strikes. Ultimately I don't think it's a particularly big deal whether they mention it or not, and this is the last post I intend to make on the subject.


And I think you've created somewhat of a false dichotomy here - it's not merely a case "either/or". I think Dave is saying they could do both.

I'm not saying it's either/or. I'm saying we don't know. I'm saying we shouldn't condemn the Maoists for supposedly not mentioning a regional wave of strikes when we have no idea whether they've mentioned it or not.


And it's funny that you say they have minimal internet presence, yet a while ago you were chatting about how they have Facebook now.

Yes, a small number of individual Maoist cadre and supporters out of the millions-strong movement have Facebook. Most of them speak very poor English, making communication difficult. 1% of Nepalis have internet access - my point stands. The UCPN (M) does not prioritize internet propaganda.


You were talking to a Maoist on there; so why do they have time for that, but now the debate has twisted the other way, they're busy with other activities?

I've spoken to a handful of grassroots cadre, students, supporters and one PLA fighter. None of them have a mandate to issue international press releases about Bangladesh. And furthermore, does it really surprise you that they'd be busy with other activities? Who's creating a false dichotomy now?

[RED DAVE]

Ultimately nobody can say what methods are necessary to bring down the Nepali ruling class, the people of Nepal will have to figure that out themselves.Are you a Marxist or a cultural relativist?


The answers do not lie in history books and they certainly don't lie in the advice of First World Marxists who can't even build a support base amongst workers in their own location.Typical Maoist cursing. Keep demonstrating your political ignorance for all to see. And have fun building a base back home in NZ.

RED DAVE

[The Vegan Marxist]

Not exactly relevant to the current struggle taking place in Nepal, but it's relevant to the UCPN (Maoist):

Maoist leader Sanwa passes away
KATHMANDU, OCT 18 -

Former Minister and UCPN (Maoist) Central Advisor Committee member Ambika Sanwa passed away at the age of 71, on Sunday night.

She died at the Model Hospital in the Capital. Sanwa had been suffering from high blood pressure and a kidney ailment.

Sanwa was former Population and Environment minister and CPN-UML leader. Later, she joined Maoist party to express her disappointment with the issue over merger and split politics of the UML and the ML.

Sanwa is survived by two sons and five daughters.

http://www.ekantipur.com/2010/10/18/top-story/maoist-leader-sanwa-passes-away/323751/

[Homo Songun]

I don't really post enough on Nepal, I wish I kept myself a bit more updated on the situation. Disregarding his analysis of state-capitalism -- which is a whole other discussion -- I think I agree mostly with Dave. It seems to me that the further and further Prachanda, Bhattarai et al dig themselves into parliamentary politicking, and always vying back and forth for concessions from the bourgeois parties, the harder it is going to be to climb themselves out of this hole their digging.


I don't necessarily see the parliamentary politicking and vying for concessions as a zero sum game the way you do. I'd guess that people on Revleft tend to broadly agree about parliaments (of the type found in Nepal) being characteristic expressions of bourgeois rule. If so, wouldn't you agree that the longer the current stalemate continues, the more discredited the institution becomes? And in turn, the type of regime such institutions represent? The more enlightened bourgeois opinion and liberal western NGOs certainly seem to be quite worried about just that happening, judging by the amount of ink they spill on the subject. Isn't this process of being discredited in the eyes of the masses a fundamental prerequisite for them to take up a revolutionary alternative? Put another way, over the course of the Russian revolution the masses fully turned to the Soviets only after the Kerensky government proved itself incapable or unwilling to end the war or meet any of their other demands. I tend to think that is the situation in Nepal today, they are somewhere between February and October.

TL;DR: My hunch is that the UCPN(M) doesn't actually expect the Constituent Assembly to meet its stated goals. And it is OK with that.

[mosfeld]

Shrestha rejects package deal

KATHMANDU, Oct 25: Maoist leader Narayankaji Shresha said Monday that his party would not strike a package deal in the manner Nepali Congress (NC) has demanded for ending the protracted political deadlock.

"What we can do is formulate a timetable to conclude the peace process and constitution-drafting," said Shrestha while speaking at Reporters´ Club, Nepal.

The Maoist vice-chairman said that the Maoists are not for resolving all the issues before settling the question of power sharing.

The NC has been stating that the party´s prime ministerial candidate Ram Chandra Paudel will pull out from the race only if the Maoists agree to constitution drafting and integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants.

"We are not saying that the problem will be resolved once and for all if the NC withdraws its candidacy. But quitting the race by the NC will certainly pave the way for consensus," he said.

Shrestha, who is also the party´s deputy leader in parliament, said his party is ready to make an agreement on the character and basic elements of the new constitution, but he added that such an agreement should not be done outside the Constituent Assembly (CA). "This can be done while discussing the issues in parliament," he said.

The Maoist vice-chairman said that the caretaker government should not table the annual budget. But he said that if the country doesn´t get a new prime minister immediately, top leaders of the major political parties should hold talks to avoid the looming economic crisis.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=24564

[RED DAVE]

Put another way, over the course of the Russian revolution the masses fully turned to the Soviets only after the Kerensky government proved itself incapable or unwilling to end the war or meet any of their other demands. I tend to think that is the situation in Nepal today, they are somewhere between February and October.The Bolsheviks refused to have anything to do with the Kerensky government. They let it stew in its own juice while urging the workers to form Soviets and prepare for the seizure of power.

The tactics of the UCPN(M) are the antithesis of what Lenin and the Bolsheviks did. Do I have to post a link, again, to the April Theses? There is no justification in Marxist theory or practice in assuming the prime ministership of a bourgeois state or entering into negotiations to form a bourgeois constitution with bourgeois parties.

RED DAVE

[Barry Lyndon]

The tactics of the UCPN(M) are the antithesis of what Lenin and the Bolsheviks did. RED DAVE

One of their dastardly tactics is not being white, for starters.

Seriously, RED DAVE, it has been explained over and over again to you that the Maoists are not participating in the bourgeois government, but you don't listen, you just prattle on with your ultra left talking points. Why don't you actually try to learn something about the situation and stop making the Maoists your punching bag. It's really annoying.

[RED DAVE]

One of their dastardly tactics is not being white, for starters.Cut the race-baiting.


Seriously, RED DAVE, it has been explained over and over again to you that the Maoists are not participating in the bourgeois government, but you don't listen, you just prattle on with your ultra left talking points. Why don't you actually try to learn something about the situation and stop making the Maoists your punching bag. It's really annoying.When you are: (1) part of a constituent assembly to form a constitution; (2) when you assume the prime ministership; (3) when you negotiate with other parties over the future course of the government; (4) you're in the government.

RED DAVE

[Reznov]

Cut the race-baiting.


Agreed. What the fuck is up with you and constantly always try to call everyone you get in a debate with racist?

That shit is getting annoying now.

[Homo Songun]

Agree with Red Dave about the race stuff. Its just rhetorical noise at this point.


The tactics of the UCPN(M) are the antithesis of what Lenin and the Bolsheviks did.The geographical, temporal, and cultural distance between Kathmandu and say, St. Petersburg 1917 is exceedingly large. In an important sense, the statement "the tactics of the UCPN(M) are the antithesis of what Lenin and the Bolsheviks did" is not even right nor wrong, but simply unverifiable. The tactics that would be called for based upon the total set of variables in one situation simply can't be validated by comparison to the other.


The Bolsheviks refused to have anything to do with the Kerensky government. They let it stew in its own juice while urging the workers to form Soviets and prepare for the seizure of power.The Leninists never said that they were opposed to participation in bourgeois parliaments on principle so far as I know. What they were opposed to was the revisionism of the mainstream Social Democracy of the day, only one manifestation of which was parliamentary cretinism. These are two different things and you are mixing them together.

And actually, technically the UCPN(M) line is that they haven't completed the bourgeois revolution. (You'd know this if you read their stuff :cool:). So, according to this logic, the historical period that is most closely analogous to this point in Nepal is the period of the liberalization when the Bolsheviks were participating in elections and entering the Tsarist Duma, NOT the Kerensky government.

So you either have to say that the historical Bolsheviks were just as bad as the UCPN(M) here, or you have to argue you know Nepal better than the Maoists. The latter option entails arguing that the dark forces of feudalism have been decisively defeated in Nepal, which is a tough sell considering that Nepal only officially outlawed being bonded to the land in 2008! (Thanks to the Maoists, naturally :thumbup1:)

[RED DAVE]

Agree with Red Dave about the race stuff. Its just rhetorical noise at this point.Thank you. It's a game Maoists like to play.


The geographical, temporal, and cultural distance between Kathmandu and say, St. Petersburg 1917 is exceedingly large.Yes and no. Yes, in the obvious sense. No in that we are dealing with two underdeveloped countries in a world of imperialism.


In an important sense, the statement "the tactics of the UCPN(M) are the antithesis of what Lenin and the Bolsheviks did" is not even right nor wrong, but simply unverifiable.When faced with a revolutionary situation in an undeveloped country, one things the Leninists explicitly did not do was enter into a coalition with a bourgeois government, the Kerensky government, even though this government was, in a sense a revolutionary government.


The tactics that would be called for based upon the total set of variables in one situation simply can't be validated by comparison to the other.Then you are giving up on Marxism.


The Leninists never said that they were opposed to participation in bourgeois parliaments on principle so far as I know.That's because they didn't have to. When Lenin returned to Russia and found that Stalin and the Bolshevik leadership was supporting the Kerensky government, he immediately called for was:


No support for the Provisional Government; the utter falsity of all its promises should be made clear, particularly of those relating to the renunciation of annexations. Exposure in place of the impermissible, illusion-breeding “demand” that this government, a government of capitalists, should cease to be an imperialist government.http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/apr/04.htm

Contrast this with the actions of the UCPN(M). Can you really believe that conditions in Petrograd and Kathmandu are so different as to permit a Marxist party, to support "a government of capitalists"?


What they were opposed to was the revisionism of the mainstream Social Democracy of the day, only one manifestation of which was parliamentary cretinism. These are two different things and you are mixing them together.Of course he was opposed to parliamentary cretinism, which is what is going on in Nepal right now. But Lenin, in the April Theses, was opposed to the actions of his own party, which was giving critical support to the Kerensky government, "a government of capitalists."


And actually, technically the UCPN(M) line is that they haven't completed the bourgeois revolution.Of course "they haven't completed the bourgeois revolution." That's the entire point of Leninism: that the bourgeoisie is incapable of completing the bourgeois revolution. That's what distinguishes Lenin from the Social Democrats, and from Mao. The notion of these latter two groups is that somehow, according to some kind of formulation, liberalism or New Democracy, the working class has to go into a coalition with the bourgeoisie to complete the bourgeois revolution. The Bolsheviks had every opportunity to do this in Russia.

Why did they avoid this like the plague, once Lenin arrived back in Russia, and, instead, call for the workers and peasants to take power? Because it was the only route for a Marxist. Following the Maoist route, what we find is that New Democracy, or whatever you want to call it, in the name of Marxism, accomplishes the task of the bourgeois revolution, and opens the door for the bourgeoisie to waltz in and take over. This is what happened in the USSR and China.


(You'd know this if you read their stuff :cool:). So, according to this logic, the historical period that is most closely analogous to this point in Nepal is the period of the liberalization when the Bolsheviks were participating in elections and entering the Tsarist Duma, NOT the Kerensky government.This is false. I have posted material elsewhere as to what the Bolsheviks did when they entered the Duma. They used it as a platform to disrupt the government.

Here's what I posted:


http://www.permanentrevolution.net/entry/2284

This article gives and excellent summary of how the Bolshevik delegates (all workers) functioned in the Tsarist Dumas (parliaments) between 1905 and 1917. There are no illusions about making a class block with the native bourgeoisie. The purpose of the Bolshevik faction was to engage in class war.

It's a reminder to left groups of whatever politics as to how to function in a capitalist parliament.


Lenin summed up the difference between the future of the workers’ representatives and the other parliamentarians: “Some leave the Duma rostrum to become ministers, others, workers’ deputies, to become convicts."I think the point is clear: What the Bolsheviks did in the Duma has nothing to do with what the UCPN(M) is doing in the current Nepalese government.


So you either have to say that the historical Bolsheviks were just as bad as the UCPN(M) here, or you have to argue you know Nepal better than the Maoists.It's not a matter of knowing Nepal better than the Maoists. It's a matter of having different politics than the Maoists. Maoism will open the door to state capitalism, which will lead to private capitalism. It did it in China. It did it in Vietnam. There are still comrades floating around here that think that China or Vietnam are some kind of workers states! And they will, given half a chance, establish state capitalism in Nepal. All the signs are there.


The latter option entails arguing that the dark forces of feudalism have been decisively defeated in Nepal, which is a tough sell considering that Nepal only officially outlawed being bonded to the land in 2008! (Thanks to the Maoists, naturally :thumbup1:)The "dark forces of feudalism" in Nepal did not have the productive nature of classic feudalism. What this hybrid form involved was using a class mechanism of feudalism, bondage to the land, in the service of capitalism. A hallmark of feudalism, as opposed to capitalism, was production for use, not for exchange. The feudal forms in Nepal, like slavery in the USA before the
Civil War, are an archaic form of class relations used in the service of capialism. It's not surprising that the Maoists had to end this bondage. It's another example of the backwardness of the Nepalese bourgeoisie and its inability to accomplish the bourgeois revolution.

What I'm deathly afraid of, and all lovers of the Nepalese Revolution and the Nepalese people should be afraid of, is the Maoists accomplishing the bourgeois revolution and then handing the whole society over the bourgeoisie as happened in China and Vietnam (and Russia for that matter).

RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

Can you really believe that conditions in Petrograd and Kathmandu are so different as to permit a Marxist party, to support "a government of capitalists"?

The UCPN (M) is not supporting a government on capitalists. This has been explained to you over and over again. Why do you keep spreading lies?


I have posted material elsewhere as to what the Bolsheviks did when they entered the Duma. They used it as a platform to disrupt the government.

I think the point is clear: What the Bolsheviks did in the Duma has nothing to do with what the UCPN(M) is doing in the current Nepalese government.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/04tE9bW0tDf9K/610x.jpg

Maoist CA members in parliament being undisruptive reformists.

http://www.nepalnews.com/today/frontpic/2009/may/may_18_09_maoist_obstruct_b.jpg

Maoist CA members giving the government their support cos, y'know, thats what they do

[RED DAVE]

The UCPN (M) is not supporting a government on capitalists. This has been explained to you over and over again. Why do you keep spreading lies?Bullshit.

Nothing you have posted negates what I have said. The UCPN(M) is as much a part of the current bourgeois government in Nepal as the Republicans are part of the current regime in the USA. They participate in its activities: (1) building a bourgeois constitution; (2) they negotiate with the bourgeois parties; (3) they have even held the prime ministership of the current bourgeois government.

(1) Is the current constitution being constructed by the major parties, including the UCPN(M)? Yes. Does that constitution call for the liberation [sic] of the working class and the peasantry from the domination of capital? No. Conclusion: The UCPN (M) is supporting a government of capitalists

(2) Is the UCPN(M) negotiating with the Nepal Congress Party, among other parties, over the course for the current government? Yes. Does any part of those negotiations involve the working class and peasantry coming to power and the overthrow of capitalism? No. Conclusion: The UCPN (M) is supporting a government of capitalists

(3) When the UCPN(M) held the prime ministership, did they perhaps use that office to call for the workers and peasants to take power? No. Conclusion: The UCPN (M) is supporting a government of capitalists

You can screech and denounce me all you want. I am reporting on what the UCPN(M) is actually doing.

RED DAVE

[fa2991]

How long do you think it'll be before the UCPN (M) drops the charade and starts calling itself "The Liberal Party"?

[Lyev]

The UCPN (M) is not supporting a government on capitalists. This has been explained to you over and over again. Why do you keep spreading lies?What is the rationale behind Prachanda's position as prime-minister, or behind the prolonged participation in bourgeois parliament?




http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/04tE9bW0tDf9K/610x.jpg

Maoist CA members in parliament being undisruptive reformists.

http://www.nepalnews.com/today/frontpic/2009/may/may_18_09_maoist_obstruct_b.jpg

Maoist CA members giving the government their support cos, y'know, thats what they doFor me this is not adequate. Simply showing some us some pictures of people with their fists raised does not prove anything, nor does it show us that the Maoists are or are not "giving the government their support". It's not a very consistent definition of "revolutionary". Recently in the UK, Liberal-Democrat leader Nick Clegg, in favour of a cap on student university fees, was able to dissent against Cameron - this does not make him revolutionary, of course. I suppose you could come back with, "the Maoists are dissenting in favour of land reforms or nationalisation", but even these reforms are top-down and from above. The working class can, and have time and time again, pressured bourgeois politicians for such reforms.

It just seems a bit dubious for me, and hard to defend. I understand that this defended as the "peaceful road" towards social revolution, but I'm not sure how, simultaneously, the party can be involved in grassroots activism with the masses, agitating at a trade-union level and the like whilst participating in parliament, and putting Prachanda up for the prime ministerial election in 2008. It seems, with the former being much more desirable and a higher priority, that you cannot have both without them effected each other negatively. The UCPN(M) surely cannot use their time, resources and membership effectively in both areas; one has to be at the expense of the other. So, perhaps the revolution is now slowing down. Are the masses getting left behind? Maybe a pro-Maoist can correct me here, or provide some info that is contrary to this, but, as I said, I am doubtful of continued support of engagement in bourgeois elections.

[RED DAVE]

How long do you think it'll be before the UCPN (M) drops the charade and starts calling itself "The Liberal Party"?Please expand on what you mean here.

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

What is the rationale behind Prachanda's position as prime-minister, or behind the prolonged participation in bourgeois parliament?There is no precedent for this in revolutionary politics.

...


I understand that this defended as the "peaceful road" towards social revolution, but I'm not sure how, simultaneously, the party can be involved in grassroots activism with the masses, agitating at a trade-union level and the like whilst participating in parliament, and putting Prachanda up for the prime ministerial election in 2008.Actually, they can do all these things. Social democratic parties do all these things. But they are not revolutionary activities.

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Maoist proposes for constitution amendment

Kathmandu, Nepal -- UCPN (Maoist) has demanded that constitution should be amended to present the full-fledged budget by the incumbent caretaker government.

The Maoist has forwarded its reservation regarding the budget at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) convened in the Capital on Sunday.

The caretaker government cannot announce the full budget under current provisions, so constitution amendment is indispensable said Maoist spokesperson Dina Nath Sharma.

During the program other representatives from the different political parties urged the Maoist to be responsible on the situation of without budget.

http://www.reviewnepal.com/detail_news.php?id=1149

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People will elect me PM: Dr Bhattarai

BIRATNAGAR, Oct 31: UCPN (Maoist) Vice Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai on Sunday claimed that the Nepali people have accepted him as a new prime minister. He said he would not be the prime minister at the behest of foreigners but at the will of the people.

"Nepali people will elect Baburam a new prime minister not the foreigners," said Dr Bhattarai during a press conference organized by Revolutionary Journalists Association, Morang.

"A large number of people have voted to make Baburam a new prime minister even in television surveys. Perhaps you might also have voted for me."

Bhattarai claimed that certain forces were at work to eclipse his popularity among the people. "Such a tendency is unhealthy whether it is within the party or outside."

Stressing the need for a consensus government to deliver peace and constitution in the country, Bhattarai said, the UCPN (Maoist), as per its line, is ready to hold negotiations with other political parties.

"Let us forge consensus on all three issues including peace, constitution and government," he said, adding, " There is no possibility of ending the current deadlock if the parties remain stuck to their stances."

He also took strong exception to statements claiming that the UCPN (Maoist) was yet to transform into a civilian party. "The UCPN (Maoist) is a civilian party as it has entered the peace process. Those who claim otherwise have not understood the essence of the peace process," he argued. "The Maoists are ready to find solutions to all problems through a package deal."

He also clarified that the Maoists floated the proposal of strategic alliance of China, India and Nepal and stated that the proposal was aimed at economic development, not the resolution of the current political deadlock.

"We have asked to explore truth"

Dr Bhattarai has admitted that he presented the contents of his political paper among leaders and cadres of the party´s Kochila State Committee.

"I have put my views with my colleagues and have asked them to explore the truth," he said. "There is discussion and debate in a vibrant party. This is not for promoting factionalism."

He said that the extended plenum will hold discussions on all three political papers including those prepared by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and another Vice chairman Mohan Baidya.

"This will bring new unity in the party," he said. "I have not come here to count head or lobby for my proposal."

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=24784

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NC 'ready' to accept Dahal as PM provided UCPN (M) commits to peace, constitution

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/images/stories/news_photo/dec/ram_chandra_poudel_np.jpg

The Nepali Congress (NC) seemed to have cautiously softened its stance as it expressed 'readiness' to accept a Maoist-led government provided the Maoist party comes up with clear commitment to conclude constitution-drafting and peace process on time.

"We are ready to support Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal if we are assured of the grounds on which the constitution-writing and peace process will be completed," NC parliamentary party (PP) leader and the prime ministerial candidate Ram Chandra Poudel told reporters after the PP meeting Tuesday evening.

"I'm prepared to withdraw the candidacy once consensus emerges," Poudel, who was been voted out for the 15th time in the PM election, further said. He clarified that the NC was not looking for an alternative PM candidate within it.

Poudel, however, claimed that his candidacy for the prime minister is intended to ensure peace and constitution and accused the Maoists of lacking in commitment on the twin agendas.

The NC decided it would not back out of the PM race until there is an agreement between the parties.

It also concluded that the preparing for budget should continue in order avert economic crisis in the country.

According to Poudel, the meeting also discussed the progress made so far towards starting the integration of the UNMIN-certified Maoist's combatants.

"We concluded that no significant progress has been made so far regarding PLA integration and adjustment process," added he.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/10261-nc-ready-to-accept-dahal-as-pm-provided-ucpn-m-commits-to-peace-constitution.html

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NC 'ready' to accept Dahal as PM provided UCPN (M) commits to peace, constitution

The Nepali Congress (NC) seemed to have cautiously softened its stance as it expressed 'readiness' to accept a Maoist-led government provided the Maoist party comes up with clear commitment to conclude constitution-drafting and peace process on time.Okay, presumably on the basis of the multi-party negotiations that have been going on, the NC, the major bourgeois party, is willing to "accept a Maoist-led government provided the Maoist party comes up with clear commitment to conclude constitution-drafting and peace process on time." What this means is that whatever program the UCPN(M) is putting forth, it's acceptable to the Nepalese bourgeoisie.


"We are ready to support Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal if we are assured of the grounds on which the constitution-writing and peace process will be completed," NC parliamentary party (PP) leader and the prime ministerial candidate Ram Chandra Poudel told reporters after the PP meeting Tuesday evening.What, then, is the content of "the constitution-writing and peace process"? What kind of government-making process is it that would be acceptable to revolutionary Marxists and the bourgeoisie?


"I'm prepared to withdraw the candidacy once consensus emerges," Poudel, who was been voted out for the 15th time in the PM election, further said. He clarified that the NC was not looking for an alternative PM candidate within it.Again, what is the content of this "consensus": acceptable to the NC and the UCPN(M)?


Poudel, however, claimed that his candidacy for the prime minister is intended to ensure peace and constitution and accused the Maoists of lacking in commitment on the twin agendas.Yes? No? What?


The NC decided it would not back out of the PM race until there is an agreement between the parties.So the NC candidate is still in the race until some kind of agreement is reached? An agreement between a bourgeois party and a revolutionary working class and peasant party to form a government.


It also concluded that the preparing for budget should continue in order avert economic crisis in the country.Correct me, someone, if I'm wrong, but I think the UCPN(M) has denounced this budget-making process.


According to Poudel, the meeting also discussed the progress made so far towards starting the integration of the UNMIN-certified Maoist's combatants.

"We concluded that no significant progress has been made so far regarding PLA integration and adjustment process," added he. In other words, no progress. All air and bullshit.

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[mosfeld]

Nepal: Bhattarai’s Paper for Late November Central Committee Meeting
(http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/nepal-bhattarais-paper-for-late-november-central-committee-meeting/)
(http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/nepal-bhattarais-paper-for-late-november-central-committee-meeting/)http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/baburam_bhattarai1.jpg

Unified CPN (Maoist) vice chairman Baburam Bhattarai met with party cadres of eastern region and apprised them of the content in his paper to be presented in the upcoming extended Central Committee meeting.

Maoist extended CC meeting is taking place in Gorkha from November 21. It is expected to take important decisions on the party policies, programmes and strategies.

The extended CC meet was called after the Central Committee could not sort out differences on major agenda among the top three leaders of the party.

The extended CC meet will discuss three separate political dossiers presented by chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and vice chairmen Mohan Baidhya and Baburam Bhattarai.

Bhattarai met cadres at the district office of the party and apprised them about the major points in all three documents.

Cadres supporting all three documents had come to meet Bhattarai despite a verbal ban from Kochila state committee in-charge Haribol Gajurel.

Bhattarai said, he had to meet the party cadres separately as the documents were not forwarded to them for study.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/nepal-bhattarais-paper-for-late-november-central-committee-meeting/

[DaringMehring]

Oh man, got to give it to Bhattarai, for making grandiose claims about how the people will choose him, complete with 3rd person reference to himself --- "the people will choose Baburam" etc.

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This is a repost from about three weeks ago:


The top three Maoist leaders are at loggerheads over the party´s general line and choosing the principal enemy.

[1] Bhattarai is for institutionalizing the political achievements made so far and completion of the peace process ...

[2] Baidya is for launching a “people´s revolt” to realize the communist political goals.

[3] Dahal´s position is vague at best; he is for preparing grounds for an immediate revolt and pushing agendas for the peace process simultaneously[;]

[4] Dahal and Baidya are for declaring India the party´s principal enemy[;]

[5] Bhattarai is for making “domestic feudalism” the principal enemy.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=24296So, if the article is correct, in Maoist terms, we have a "left" represented by Baidya, a "right" represented by Bhattarai and a "center" represented by Dahal.

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[red cat]

Besides being a place for posting important news from Nepal, this thread has also become a priceless gold-mine of political and economic analysis from some of our most experienced comrades. Leaders of the UCPN(M) have already been placed into center, right or left, whichever position they undoubtedly deserve. In this context, I am reposting some material from the earlier news thread on Nepal. It will perhaps help in analyzing the historical similarities between the activities of some leaders who have upheld a particular political line...

Louis Pio:


It's quite interesting that the nepali maoists have started looking beyond the confines of Stalin and Mao.

Communist Party of Nepal recognises role of Leon Trotsky (http://www.revleft.com/vb/../communist-party-nepal-recognises-role-of-trotsky.htm)

Written by Pablo Sanchez and Kamred Hulaki Tuesday, 20 October 2009
http://www.revleft.com/vb/../templates/imt/images/printButton.png (http://www.revleft.com/vb/#)
This summer The Red Spark [Rato Jhilko - see photo], a journal of the Communist Party of Nepal published an article by Baburam Bhattarai, which stated that, “Trotskyism has become more relevant than Stalinism to advance the cause of the proletariat”. This is the result of concrete historical experience that has revealed the real essence of Stalinism and vindicated the ideas of Leon Trotsky, in the case of Nepal in particular of the theory of the Permanent Revolution.

http://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/thumbs/200x307-images-stories-nepal-red_spark.jpg
(http://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/stories/nepal/red_spark.jpg)In The Red Spark [Rato Jhilko - see photo], a journal of the Communist Party of Nepal, one of the leading theoreticians of the party, Baburam Bhattarai, recently wrote an article that has not gone unnoticed within the Communist movement, both in Nepal and internationally. Bhattarai, 55, is a politburo member of the main Maoist organization in Nepal. He was Minister of Finance in August 2008 during the participation of the Maoists in the coalition government that they later abandoned. While the Communist Party of Nepal has long advocated the ideas of Mao and Stalin, this is what he wrote:
“Today, the globalization of imperialist capitalism has increased many-fold as compared to the period of the October Revolution. The development of information technology has converted the world into a global village. However, due to the unequal and extreme development inherent in capitalist imperialism this has created inequality between different nations. In this context, there is still (some) possibility of revolution in a single country similar to the October revolution; however, in order to sustain the revolution, we definitely need a global or at least a regional wave of revolution in a couple of countries. In this context, Marxist revolutionaries should recognize the fact that in the current context, Trotskyism has become more relevant than Stalinism to advance the cause of the proletariat”. (The Red Spark, July 2009, Issue 1, Page-10, our translation from Nepali language).
Up till now, for the Nepalese Maoists the truth about the life and contribution of comrade Leon Trotsky had been hidden, and this also applies to their own cadres. Now that the road of Stalinism and Maoism is heading towards a dead end, and the party cadres are demanding an explanation from their Leaders, the latter have been forced to speak the truth about the Bolshevik Revolution in general and about Leon Trotsky in particular. This recognition is also an indication of the fact that the Maoists are trying to draw a balance sheet of their decades-long campaign.
One of the major differences between Stalin and Trotsky was the issue of "socialism in one country". By 1904, Trotsky had developed the idea that the Russian revolution against the Tsarist regime, would not stop at the immediate tasks of the "bourgeois-democratic" revolution (agrarian reform, parliamentary democracy, rights of national minorities, etc.). In other words, the Russian Revolution would not stop at the establishment of a bourgeois democratic regime. Indeed, Trotsky explained that due to the weakness of the Russian bourgeoisie and its dependence on the Tsar, the leading role in the revolution would necessarily fall to the working class. The underdevelopment of the Russian economy would not prevent the working class from seizing power and then initiating a socialist transformation of society. But at the same time, Trotsky explained that it would be impossible to establish a viable socialist regime without the extension of the revolution to several other countries in a relatively short period of time. This perspective entered into the history of Marxism as the "theory of the Permanent Revolution".
After Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin and other leaders of the Bolshevik Party attacked the theory of the Permanent Revolution, to which they opposed the theory of "socialism in one country". According to this theory, it was possible to build socialism in Russia, regardless of the international context. The prospect of a "world revolution" was thus abandoned. This theory reflected the nationalist, bureaucratic degeneration of the Soviet regime, due to the prolonged isolation of the Russian revolution and the economic and cultural backwardness of the country.
Bhattarai is, however, mistaken on one point. In 1917, neither Lenin, nor Trotsky, nor any other leader of the Bolshevik party (not even Stalin himself) considered that the revolution could be confined to one country. Nobody even mentioned this idea before it became the motto of Stalin from 1924 onwards. But despite this factual error of Bhattarai, the fact that a senior leader of a traditionally "Stalinist" party recognizes the validity of the ideas of Trotsky is a very significant development. This will stimulate a very useful discussion within the Communist movement on the historical roots of Stalinism and the ideas of genuine Marxism.
Now in Nepal there is a growing interest in the theory of the Permanent Revolution. The fact that a Maoist leader has recognised that “in the current context of globalised capitalist domination, Trotskyism has become more relevant than Stalinism” is an extremely interesting development. With this debate there is also a clear step towards building links with other movements and organisations that challenge capitalism globally. It is in fact the duty of Marxists everywhere to debate and discuss the correct tactics and strategy for the revolution internationally. In that sense we welcome Bhattarai’s article and wish to contribute to the discussions among Nepalese communists. The struggle for socialism is an international struggle, and a victory for the Nepalese communists would be a victory for the workers of the whole of the South Asian subcontinent, and indeed of the world.
http://www.marxist.com/communist-par...of-trotsky.htm (http://www.anonym.to/?http://www.marxist.com/communist-party-nepal-recognises-role-of-trotsky.htm)http://www.revleft.com/vb/news-nepal-t114558/index.html?p=1575103#post1575103

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Nepal: Prachanda on China, India and the Plenum
Monday Interview

We want to turn over a new leaf in our relationship with India

Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) – UCPN(M) - has had a difficult relationship with India and other political parties in Nepal after the fall of Maoist-led government in May 2009. The party’s several attempts to regain power have been scuttled by its widening trust gap with various political forces. As a consequence the peace process has been stalled and Nepal has been without a functioning government for over four months. Against this backdrop, Prachanda ( Pushpa Kamal Dahal), Chairman of the UCPN (M), recently visited China where he proposed to the Chinese leadership a tripartite agreement between Nepal, China, and India. Prachanda spoke to Akhilesh Upadhyay and Sudheer Sharma on Saturday morning about his visit, his party’s upcoming plenum, its relationship with India, the peace process and his fall from grace.

You and your party men have been to China frequently. Some reading it as tilting towards China.

It is not as it appears in the media. At an ideological level, we are naturally interested in studying developments in China. But my visits have been circumstantial. The first time I went to the Olympics. The second time I was there to study Chinese development. This time I was there to attend the Shanghai Expo. Which is not just about China for the expo is, in a sense, a world expo.

It is true that while in China I had meetings with Chinese leaders. But upon my return I divulged the content of those meetings. Chinese leaders have always underlined the need to ensure peace and development (in Nepal). As the largest party, they have advised us to improve ties with India. There is no truth in the rumours about our party’s preference of China over India.

What were China’s concerns?

It is not that difficult to understand China’s concern. If there is peace and stability in Nepal, their security concerns related to Tibet will be addressed. They also reiterate the issue of non-interference.

You have spoken about a tripartite strategic alliance between China, India and Nepal. Can you elaborate?

It’s not an abstract concept. Both China and India have been on the path of rapid economic development. Both are large countries. Nepal should ideally benefit from them. If Nepal lags behind in development, it may affect both countries’ interests negatively. For that reason, there needs to be a common understanding about development.

If that can happen it will set an example for the world. There is a global trend of regional partnerships like the EU and ASEAN and we can certainly emulate them.

Are you trying to redefine the traditional power balance in the region?

We have tried to clarify this issue repeatedly. We have spoken out in favour of adding new dynamics to the relationships in the region. Traditional relationships have not represented the interest of the people in the region. It hasn’t represented the wave of regional changes. It only represents the interests of a small circle. In view of the needs of the 21st century, the changed global context, the change in the power balance, and the shift in consciousness of the people, we have said that there is a need to redefine traditional relationships.

Regarding our policy, we are in favour of good relations with China, India and the rest of the world. But there is no denying that we have issues with India. Some are about treaties and agreements. During the Rana regime, the ruling elite made decisions that only served them. We have disputes about borders, trade and the transit facilities that we are entitled to as a landlocked country. In all these issues, we need a redefinition of our relationship, not to weaken the bilateral relations but to further strengthen them.

How are you going to improve ties with India?

We are clear that we need to engage with Indian leaders, the government, intellectuals and the media to clarify ourselves. And we have been making efforts. On the sidelines of the Nepali Congress General Convention, I had discussions with different leaders representing Congress (I), BJP, Janata Dal and other parties. I think the environment is improving for me to go to Delhi, I have had the desire to do so. We have to clear the confusions about our party. When we say we have problems with India, we also want to make it clear that we want to positively and constructively engage with India to address these problems. We want to turn over a new leaf in our relationship and strengthen it. It’s not that we are only talking with China, we are also talking with India.

The Chinese advice for us to improve our ties with India has its own background. The Chinese have publicly been saying that they too want to improve ties with India. Their bilateral trade has been growing and has exceeded over US $60 billion; trade also affects their bilateral relationship. But the Chinese advice is not an instruction, and that is the way other bilateral relations should be as well.

You have raised three points about the tripartite agreement. Development, Peace and Stability. There can be no dispute on the first one, but on the latter two points, do you think that they will invite more external interference?

That is not the case. In fact it is the reverse. Historically, all three (countries) have respective security concerns. If only one country opts out from a common agreement, none of the countries’ security concerns will be properly addressed. The thinking I am putting forward aims to address concerns of all three at once, and strategically would allow all three to focus on development peacefully, while at the same time assisting each other. How does that invite more interference? In fact it will end the security dilemma of China and India, and result in activities to preserve their interests.

China may agree to your proposal, but what about India?

I have been forwarding my idea to India as well for last five or six months. We should focus our attention on creating an understanding among three countries in the coming days.

Our party has emerged as an agent of change. People have entrusted us with some responsibilities as the biggest party, which obligates us to reach an understanding with our neighbors that is in the interest of all three countries. India has not publicly reacted to our proposal. There is no reason for India to oppose it. And it is my understanding that India will take it as a positive idea.

When are you going to Delhi, before or after the plenum?

I don;t think it will be possible before the plenum. Perhaps after the plenum. I had talked with some people about the visit (to India) and they believed that around Nov. 15 would be the right time. Given the time constraints around the plenum, I have told them that it would be best if an arrangement can be made after the plenum. I won’t go now for two reasons. One, the time constraints won’t allow it. Two, regardless of whatever policy decisions we make during the plenum, it will be seen as caving in to New Delhi.

When you launched a movement of national independence, there were bitter feelings between India and your party. How has that changed?

Our concerns on the issue of national independence are still there. Until now we have been taking our concerns before the people. But we would like to sort them out at the political level. If the problems are still not solved, we might go to the people in a different way. We haven’t let go of the issues related to national sovereignty or the other issues related to India. Nor are we taking them lightly. It’s just that sometimes we try to settle the issue through the streets and sometimes at the table. Right now, we want to solve the issue at the table.

We will continue to raise these issues until the needs and the interests of the people of two countries are solved according to the needs of the 21st century. This is not an issue we can easily let go of. As this issue relates directly with our sovereignty, peace, stability and development, we hold it dear.

Nepal’s relationship with India seems to have gone on a bureaucratic plane of late. Don’t you believe solutions to outstanding problems are unlikely unless you engage with Indian political actors at the political level?

You have raised a valid point.

One of the reasons why things haven’t moved with the pace and direction we wanted is perhaps because these issues are being taken up at the bureaucratic level or through agencies. That is why I referred to my intention to visit Delhi and of my engagements with intellectuals in India. Now the process is upside down. During my visit I want to try to correct the approach by taking them to a political level.

Let’s turn to the question of budget now. The Maoists have been saying that they won’t allow the budget to pass in its current form.

We are clear on this issue. Nowhere in the world does a caretaker government bring a full budget. That is against democratic norms. If this government brings a full budget, it will cast the whole country as a laughing stock.

But don’t we need a budget even if there can be no new government in the near future?

We believe it is important to form a new government at the earliest. There is no reason we cannot come up with one within a couple of days if there is political consensus to do it. But that is not happening. Therefore we have been emphasizing the need for immediate government formation to bring a complete budget. If that is not possible, we can amend the constitution to avail the money for the government’s general expenditure. If we go for a constitutional amendment to avail the money needed for government expenditures, it would give the message that parties are serious about the issue and it will also inspire the political parties to form a government at the earliest.

We are not for bringing the whole government machinery to a grinding halt. If the political partiess can sit together to bring a new budget, that will set the right precedence of decisions being reached through a proper political process.

What about the formation of a new government?

It is unfortunate. It seems parties are ready for a consensus approach on some issues. We are still engaged in talks. I hope such a situation (of no legitimate government) will end soon.

I think politics will head in the direction of consensus and a majority government can be avoided. For consensus, it would be natural to form a government under Maoist leadership. However, we are not dead-set that the government should be formed under our leadership. We are open to alternatives.

It seems that the issue of former Maoist combatants is a major stumbling block. Other parties seem to believe that unless this issue is settled, a Maoist-led government is not possible. Why is there no progress on this issue.?

This issue is a sensitive issue. Nepali Congress and a section of ther CPN-UML feel that unless the cantonments are vacated, there would be no Maoist-led government. This attitude, I think, is the biggest stumbling block for the peace process. When people made us the largest party, they did not want us to proceed by surrendering our army. Even when the coalition was formed under my leadership, the issue of integration never came up as a condition. Then why is it being presented as a condition today?

We are ready for integration. And I have also presented a timeframe for the same. But if NC and some UML leaders present this as a condition for government formation under our leadership, that is unacceptable to us.

NC questions whether the Maoists are a civilian party. But who are they to ask this question? As the people have voted to make us the largest party in the CA, I think the question of a civilian party does not arise. So, I doubt if this is not an attempt to derail the peace process, I have been saying it time and again that other parties seem to feel that if the peace process is completed on time along with the writing of the constitution, then the Maoists would be popular and in the next election they would secure a two-thirds majority

Do you believe that the number of combatants to be integrated and rehabilitated have to be fixed beforehand?

Not necessarily. Which of the documents – the Comprehensive Peace Accord, the Interim Constitution – talks of fixing the numbers first. The combatants can be asked about their will. Why is the issue of fixing the number so important? It seems that the parties want to portray us as the major hurdle in the process.

What then is the way out?

We are ready for integration. We plan to bring the combatants under the Special Committee and then regroup them. By January an environment for the integration and rehabilitation should be created. If this does not happen, it is the Maoists who stand to lose as the party’s credibility will be questioned. But when we are asked to fix the numbers in advance, we suspect that the parties do not want to proceed with the integration as per the past understanding. Therefore I have told NC and UML leaders that if they place new conditions on integration, we will not be able to proceed. But I would like to make it clear that our party is committed to completing the process of integration and rehabilitation with tangible output by Jan. 15.

How do you see the situation evolving if the process is not completed by the time UNMIN leaves on Jan. 15?

I am hopeful that the parties will arrive at consensus and the process will be completed by the time UNMIN leaves. But if that is not the case then as far as our party is concerned, we will not walk out of the peace process. We will continue to fight for peace and the constitution. However, if the process is not completed on time, we fear that the other side would take the country towards confrontation by trying to impose president’s rule. That would be unfortunate.

We have been hearing from different quarters including your party and New Delhi that on the need for a new agreement like the 12 point accord of 2005. What is your position on this?

We are positive on this. In fact I have been stressing the need for a new agreement among all political forces. The 12 point agreement has outlived its purpose. Now we need new agreements to address the present situation.

What could be the framework of such an agreement.?

First of all, the new framework should be based on the results of the CA elections. Leaders of NC have been making their arguments on the basis of pre-CA elections arrangement. Also the issue of federalism, secularism and republic and ill-defined. We need to have a clear definition of these issues. In other words, we have to be clear on the path that we would like to embark on for social and economic transformation.

What is the purpose of your plenum?

Given the current political situation, we communists believe that crisis seen in society is reflected in the party too. So, it is important to hold discussions to sort them out. Hence this plenum.

But it seems there are different schools of thought even within the Maoists. As a result there appears to be some kind of dispute amontg leaders.

This is not the case. We had our differences even during the period of war. When then-king Gyanendra took direct control, there was difference of opinion in the party on whether we should initiate peace talks. And we had made those differences public. But we all came together during the Chungbang meet. So we have a healthy process of dialogue. Although it is natural for the debate to be heated at times. But as the Chairman of the party, I ensure that the debates occur in a dignified manner. Some of us in the party have been working together for the last two decades, so we understand each other very well. And we will come together. The reactionary forces have always dreamt of splitting our party. But they will not be successful.

In the last year or so, particularly after you stepped down as the prime minister, your personality seems to have taken a hit. You seem to have lost the middle ground.

I agree that my leadership has taken a hit as people had a lot of expectations from my leadership – and it has not been possible to meet them. But no leader in the world can be at the peak forever. The charm is bound to climb down. A leader in his life sees lots of ups and downs. I am committed to our cause. As long as the leader is committed to his cause, he can always bounce back. As far as loosing the charm among the middle class is concerned, it can go up as abruptly as it has come down.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/httpwww-ekantipur-com20101101opedmonday-interview32447/

[mosfeld]

Interview with Maoist Woman From Nepal

This interview was published in tamilweek.com

Jwala Kumari Shah is one of 39 women who attended a South Asian feminist conference in Bangladesh. The interview begins with a quote from Rosa Parks, an African-American woman who refused to sit in the back of the bus during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60′s .

This interview is one example of a woman’s life after she joined the Maoist revolutionary war in Nepal.

From Maoist Rebel to Member of Constituent Assembly

by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

October 30, 2010 – “Each person must live their life as a model for others” – Rosa Parks, (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005), African-American Civil Rights Activist

Jwala Kumari Shah is a Constituent Assembly member from the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

She had been an active fighter for 12 years while being with the Maoists. She spent several years underground fearing for her safety. She is married to a fellow party member and has three sons.

It was a simple wedding, they exchanged flowers. The relatives and villagers were surprised as there were neither rings nor ceremony for their wedding. “We loved each other and decided to get married and we lead a happy and simple life” says Jawala Kumari Shah with a snowy smile.

I had a rare opportunity to spend some time with her in Bangladesh.

She was one among 39 women participants of SANGAT XVth South Asian Feminist Capacity Building Course on Gender, Sustainable Livelihoods, Human Rights and Pease which was held in Rajendrapur, Bangladesh in September-October 2010.

She is friendly and polite with strong political views. She loves to be photographed alone and with her friends. She likes to wear the Nepali flag engraved on a brass pin on the left side of her coat.


The excerpts of the interview are as follows:

How did you join the Maoists?

I was born in 1981 and I started to participate in protest when I was in Class VIII. The students organized a protest against the killing of the parents of a fellow student in village called Bara. The village is nearly 70 kilometers away from the capital Kathmandu. I actively took part in this protest.

My parents were actively involved in politics and worked with the grassroots. They always talked about the sufferings of the oppressed people in the villages of Nepal. My brother was killed and my parents were tortured.

I asked my father whether I can join the Maoist, but he declined and asked me to read the books written by them. But later I joined them in 1998 when I was a 17 year-old and fought against discrimination, torture, injustice and repression. 10 years of civil strife during which at least 15,000 people including 1,100 women were killed.

I have been part of the fierce fighting during the “Nepalese People’s War” in Nepal. I got injured many times, but survived when many of my fellow fighters were disabled or killed, but I had the courage to continue to fight. My name “Jwala” means fire. The fire has been burning inside me ever since I was a child.

What made you to become a politician?

Many of my fellow fighters have decided to participate in active politics. My parents have been actively involved in politics. I thought of serving the people through politics. I joined the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which was founded to protect the fundamental rights of the Nepalese people.

The tenure of the Constituent Assembly has already expired. How do you see the future?

We continue to work with the grassroots. We want to ensure the fundamental rights of the people by preparing a constitution for our country. We have been able to meet 80% of the tasks. We continue to raise our voices against the ethnic and religious discriminations. We are planning for land reforms by promoting “big thinking and simple living”. We need to establish political stability for sustainable peace in Nepal.

Are men and women treated equally in your country?

I am happy to note that the situation is improving Women are moving forward with courage. In my party, 50% of the 375-member central committee is women. We demand for 33% of women in Nepal Parliament and government sector. I believe 50% members of the Parliament should be women. I hope we will be able to achieve it some day. Women in South Asia have to unite and fight for their rights endlessly. We need to be united and show solidarity.

How do you feel being with the women from nine different countries?

It’s a great opportunity for me to learn from them. I share my knowledge and experience with them as well. Every woman here is different and I like all of them. I will share the knowledge gained in Bangladesh with my colleagues in Nepal and I will continue to be part of the South Asian feminists, and spread the message of peace.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/interview-with-maoist-woman-from-nepal/

[RED DAVE]

If you didn't know that the the two pieces posted above by mosfield were written about members of so-called revolutionary Marxist party, it would be no stretch to believe that they were written about a party of liberal nationalists.

RED DAVE

[red cat]

If you didn't know that the the two pieces posted above by mosfield were written about members of so-called revolutionary Marxist party, it would be no stretch to believe that they were written about a party of liberal nationalists.

RED DAVE

This thread is for news about the Nepalese revolution. Please post your valuable comments elsewhere.

[RED DAVE]

This thread is for news about the Nepalese revolution. Please post your valuable comments elsewhere.If you look back over the thread, it is currently used for news and comments.

RED DAVE

[red cat]

If you look back over the thread, it is currently used for news and comments.

RED DAVE

I see. Seems everyone is pretty okay with it too. My bad, sorry.

[DaringMehring]

If you didn't know that the the two pieces posted above by mosfield were written about members of so-called revolutionary Marxist party, it would be no stretch to believe that they were written about a party of liberal nationalists.

RED DAVE

Certainly the Prachanda interview. But when the woman says 50% of the CC members are female, it passes outside any bourgeois norm.

[RED DAVE]

Certainly the Prachanda interview. But when the woman says 50% of the CC members are female, it passes outside any bourgeois norm.It's nice to see one radical note. But one note does not a symphony make.

RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

Actions speak louder than words Dave. Lenin made countless statements on countless issues, not all of which used the word 'revolution' in every sentence and most of which history does not remember as a result.

Try to see these statements in context, the way a Marxist would.

[RED DAVE]

Actions speak louder than words Dave. Lenin made countless statements on countless issues, not all of which used the word 'revolution' in every sentence and most of which history does not remember as a result.

Try to see these statements in context, the way a Marxist would.Indeed I do think that actions speak louder than words, and that's why I'm worried.


But don’t we need a budget even if there can be no new government in the near future?

We believe it is important to form a new government at the earliest. There is no reason we cannot come up with one within a couple of days if there is political consensus to do it. But that is not happening. Therefore we have been emphasizing the need for immediate government formation to bring a complete budget. If that is not possible, we can amend the constitution to avail the money for the government’s general expenditure. If we go for a constitutional amendment to avail the money needed for government expenditures, it would give the message that parties are serious about the issue and it will also inspire the political parties to form a government at the earliest.

We are not for bringing the whole government machinery to a grinding halt. If the political partiess can sit together to bring a new budget, that will set the right precedence of decisions being reached through a proper political process.

What about the formation of a new government?

It is unfortunate. It seems parties are ready for a consensus approach on some issues. We are still engaged in talks. I hope such a situation (of no legitimate government) will end soon.

I think politics will head in the direction of consensus and a majority government can be avoided. For consensus, it would be natural to form a government under Maoist leadership. However, we are not dead-set that the government should be formed under our leadership. We are open to alternatives.(emph added)

You brought up Lenin: Show us where he said anything like that. Or where he negotiated with a bourgeois party over the formation of a government.

RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

The Bolsheviks negotiated constantly with the SRs, the Mensheviks and the other ant-Tsar parties during and after the Revolution, and this didn't end until for obvious reasons the Civil War put a stop to it.

If you read histories of the time it is clear the Bolsheviks were in frantic negotiations with the SRs, the Mensheviks and even parties like the Cadets to try and get them to agree to a land reform package, an end to the war and so on. It was only the refusal of these forces to engage with the Bolshevik demands and take the Bolsheviks seriously that an armed seizure of power became essential - and even then, powerful forces within the Bolshevik part argued against it.

You are portraying the movement of a party towards revolutions as one straight, seamless and united path. That's not how the real world works, now or ever.

[Saorsa]

Plot to turn Nepal into another Afghanistan, Iraq: Prachanda


Updated on Friday, November 12, 2010, 00:47
Tags: Prachanda, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iraq
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Kathmandu: Maoists supremo Prachanda has rubbished claims that the former Nepal rebels were providing arms and training to Indian Naxalites, saying such are part of plot to turn the country into another Afghanistan and Iraq.

Prachanda, the Chairman of Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, dismissed allegation that his party has been imparting training to the Indian Naxalites in Nepal, the Kantipur online reported today.

The 56-year-old former prime minister was quoted as saying that the rumours were spread as part of plot to turn Nepal into another Afghanistan and Iraq. He said claims that Maoists were providing arms and training to Indian Naxalites was an "out an out lie" and his party is not involved in such things.



Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala last week confirmed the receipt of a letter from Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood in which he expressed concern over Maoists providing arms and training to Naxalites in India, the media reported here.

Sood had handed over separate letters to Nepal Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary in late October, expressing India's concern, it said quoting Indian embassy sources. Describing it as a "serious matter" if is was true, Koirala had told PTI that the government will investigate the matter.

According to the last week's report in The Kathmandu Post, some 200 Naxalites from India have taken part in training being provided by Nepalese Maoists in different districts of Terai, including Nawalparasi, Dang, Udaypur and Makwanpur.

Prachanda, known for his anti-India rhetoric, has frequently accused India of "naked interference" in Nepal and dictating to its leaders.

The Maoist party has demanded the revision of the landmark 1950 Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty and resolving Kalapani and Susta border disputes between the two countries.

"We want to positively and constructively engage with India to address these issues, we want to turn over a new leaf in our relations," he told the Kathmandu Post daily.

Maoists, who joined mainstream politics in 2006 after a decade-long insurgency, won the maximum seats in 2008 elections and briefly led the government before Prachanda quit as premier following differences with the country's President over the sacking of the then army chief. The Nepal Army has denied claims by the Maoists that the military had submitted reports about the former rebels providing training to Indian Naxalites under the instruction of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.

The allegation was totally false and baseless, Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ramindra Chheri told PTI. The army’s reaction comes in the wake of the Maoists? allegation that Nepal Army, India and the caretaker government have hatched conspiracy to defame the former rebels. There is no truth in such allegations, its completely baseless propaganda, Chheri said.

The army has also raised the issue during a key defence meeting today. "We have raised the issue during Thursday’s meeting of the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC)," the spokesperson said.

The JMCC is a body of representatives from the Nepal Army, former Maoists guerrilla force, People?s Liberation Army and the United Nations tasked to monitor the activities of the ex-combatants.

"We have clearly presented our views during the JMCC meeting that the allegation was completely false and baseless," he said.

http://www.zeenews.com/news667529.html

[Saorsa]

Economic woes getting severe


By Nirjal Dhungana
Friday, 12 November 2010 17:39
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With the ceaseless incompetence on the part of the political leadership to forge consensus to bring a full-fledged budget, the already fragile economic performance has hit a new low.

The imports are swelling alarmingly in contrast to fast dwindling exports. The growth of remittance, which has largely been buoying up the shaky economy, has slowed down since the last fiscal year (FY).

The balance of payment (BoP) deficit has again reared its ugly head in the last two months of the current FY. The balance of payment (BoP) deficit widened to Rs. 4.36 billion in the second month of the current fiscal year (FY), according to the macro-economic situation of the country recently released by the central bank.The BoP deficit was recorded at Rs 312.8 million in the first month.

The unremitting growth in trade deficit coupled with the growth of remittance below 10 percent has stultified the expected recovery of BoP deficit.

According to the central bank report, the country's trade deficit increased by 7.4 percent as exports declined by 3.8 percent to Rs 10.68 billion while import of merchandise grew by 5.2 percent to Rs. 61.07 billion in two months. This triggered a trade deficit of Rs 50.4 billion.

Inflow of remittance rose by just 9.7 percent to Rs 38.4 billion compared to 19.7 percent in the corresponding period last year. However, in the first month, the growth rate of remittance was just 7.8 percent.

The growth of remittance has failed to keep pace in tandem with the rising of Nepali migrant workers leaving for overseas jobs.

In last two months, the outlook of government's expenditure was also gloomy as it declined by 25.5 percent to Rs. 19.78 billion compared to an increase of 69.8 percent in the corresponding period the previous year.

The report ascribed the decrease in both recurrent and capital expenditure as well as freeze in expenditure to this situation. The growth of revenue also slowed at just 11.2 percent during the review period compared to 54.5 percent in the corresponding period last year. This is sure to pile pressure on cutting down budget to be allocated to particular projects.

The foreign exchange reserves have depleted in terms of both Nepali currency and US dollar. The central bank has stated that such reserves have currently come down by 1.8 percent to Rs 261.81 million during the review compared to mid-July 2010.

They have decreased by 1.1 percent in dollar terms too to US $ 3.54 billion.

The absence of budget has also dealt a blow to the inflow of foreign aid to Nepal.

The United Nation's body on trade, investment and development issues, UNCTAD's latest World Investment Report revealed that even among the least developed countries (LDCs), Nepal is at the bottom of the heap in attracting foreign capital.

According to the World Investment Report 2010, foreign direct investment (FDI) to almost all the LDCs increased during the 1990-2008 period with the exception of Nepal, Burundi, Eritrea, Samoa and Timor-Leste.

The growing militancy of trade unions, energy crisis, absence of the rule of law and apathy on the part of political parties towards the economy are some of the prime factors that are not only marring the business environment but even driving away domestic investors, say economic experts.

Similarly, the government agencies have failed to call tender due to the prolonged delay in bringing budget which has resulted in low expenditure in the development field.

The government' spending is key to encourage the private sector to spend as well.

Due to the steep downturn in key economic indicators, the finance ministry is also planning to trim down the overall economic growth of the country.

As the chronic political disorder continues to stultify the economy, Nepal's status as an investment friendly country has further relegated.
The country slipped down by four notches to rest at 116th position in 2010 the Doing Business Report , recently unveiled by the International Finance Corporation, wing of World Bank, from 112th in 2009.

According to the report, the position of Nepal in six indicators including business, protecting investors, paying taxes and trading across border has declined further.

The report suggests that Nepal's economic health is going downhill at an escalating pace and needs urgent remedies.

The persistent delay in brining budget may also derail the achievements Nepal has so far made in the arena of human development.

The continued haggling and posturing on the part of the major political parties for power and privileges amount to pushing the country into the vortex of a full-blown economic crisis. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/business-a-economy/10471-economic-woes-getting-more-chronic.html

[Saorsa]

Economic woes getting severe


By Nirjal Dhungana
Friday, 12 November 2010 17:39

With the ceaseless incompetence on the part of the political leadership to forge consensus to bring a full-fledged budget, the already fragile economic performance has hit a new low.

The imports are swelling alarmingly in contrast to fast dwindling exports. The growth of remittance, which has largely been buoying up the shaky economy, has slowed down since the last fiscal year (FY).

The balance of payment (BoP) deficit has again reared its ugly head in the last two months of the current FY. The balance of payment (BoP) deficit widened to Rs. 4.36 billion in the second month of the current fiscal year (FY), according to the macro-economic situation of the country recently released by the central bank.The BoP deficit was recorded at Rs 312.8 million in the first month.

The unremitting growth in trade deficit coupled with the growth of remittance below 10 percent has stultified the expected recovery of BoP deficit.

According to the central bank report, the country's trade deficit increased by 7.4 percent as exports declined by 3.8 percent to Rs 10.68 billion while import of merchandise grew by 5.2 percent to Rs. 61.07 billion in two months. This triggered a trade deficit of Rs 50.4 billion.

Inflow of remittance rose by just 9.7 percent to Rs 38.4 billion compared to 19.7 percent in the corresponding period last year. However, in the first month, the growth rate of remittance was just 7.8 percent.

The growth of remittance has failed to keep pace in tandem with the rising of Nepali migrant workers leaving for overseas jobs.

In last two months, the outlook of government's expenditure was also gloomy as it declined by 25.5 percent to Rs. 19.78 billion compared to an increase of 69.8 percent in the corresponding period the previous year.

The report ascribed the decrease in both recurrent and capital expenditure as well as freeze in expenditure to this situation. The growth of revenue also slowed at just 11.2 percent during the review period compared to 54.5 percent in the corresponding period last year. This is sure to pile pressure on cutting down budget to be allocated to particular projects.

The foreign exchange reserves have depleted in terms of both Nepali currency and US dollar. The central bank has stated that such reserves have currently come down by 1.8 percent to Rs 261.81 million during the review compared to mid-July 2010.

They have decreased by 1.1 percent in dollar terms too to US $ 3.54 billion.

The absence of budget has also dealt a blow to the inflow of foreign aid to Nepal.

The United Nation's body on trade, investment and development issues, UNCTAD's latest World Investment Report revealed that even among the least developed countries (LDCs), Nepal is at the bottom of the heap in attracting foreign capital.

According to the World Investment Report 2010, foreign direct investment (FDI) to almost all the LDCs increased during the 1990-2008 period with the exception of Nepal, Burundi, Eritrea, Samoa and Timor-Leste.

The growing militancy of trade unions, energy crisis, absence of the rule of law and apathy on the part of political parties towards the economy are some of the prime factors that are not only marring the business environment but even driving away domestic investors, say economic experts.

Similarly, the government agencies have failed to call tender due to the prolonged delay in bringing budget which has resulted in low expenditure in the development field.

The government' spending is key to encourage the private sector to spend as well.

Due to the steep downturn in key economic indicators, the finance ministry is also planning to trim down the overall economic growth of the country.

As the chronic political disorder continues to stultify the economy, Nepal's status as an investment friendly country has further relegated.
The country slipped down by four notches to rest at 116th position in 2010 the Doing Business Report , recently unveiled by the International Finance Corporation, wing of World Bank, from 112th in 2009.

According to the report, the position of Nepal in six indicators including business, protecting investors, paying taxes and trading across border has declined further.

The report suggests that Nepal's economic health is going downhill at an escalating pace and needs urgent remedies.

The persistent delay in brining budget may also derail the achievements Nepal has so far made in the arena of human development.

The continued haggling and posturing on the part of the major political parties for power and privileges amount to pushing the country into the vortex of a full-blown economic crisis. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/business-a-economy/10471-economic-woes-getting-more-chronic.html

[Saorsa]

Nepal Army acted as tutored by PM to malign Maoists: Maoist leader

Telegraph Nepal

Addressing a press interaction program in Kathmandu, November 10, 2010 Barsaman Pun alias 'Ananta', the Unified Maoists' Party's Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) in-charge has said that the allegation that the PLA was providing trainings to the Indian Maoists was an Indian plot to detach his party from the ongoing peace process and constitution drafting process.

"India in an institutional manner wants to detach Nepal's largest party in the constituent assembly from the Peace and Constitution drafting process and is preparing for Military intervention in Nepal", Ananta said resolutely.

"India has of late increased its interference in Nepal from all possible corners, the allegation that we are providing trainings to the Indian Maoists is just another form of interference", Pun elaborated.

He also stressed that Nepal Army Headquarters and Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal too were hand-in-glove with the Indian establishment in the said conspiracy.

"The Eastern regional command of the Nepal Army had fabricated the report as per the orders of the NA headquarters", said Ananta and further claimed, "The NA headquarters was asked by the Prime Minister himself to present the fake report."
Horrifying tale.

The NA headquarters had asked the Eastern Regional Command to present the report some six months back, he also claimed.

"The Indian Ambassador later forwarded the fake report to New Delhi authorities", continued Ananta.

"The letter recently handed over by the Indian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry (MoFA) makes it clear that India is not in favour of positive conclusion to Nepal's peace process".

"We would like to demand the government of India to formally clarify its position over the allegation", he said.

"We are in no position to provide training to the Indian Maoists because we believe that they are much stronger than what we are", Ananta also clarified.

"Indeed we share similar ideological values but the Maoists' movement in India is their internal matter", he concluded.

As per the reports, Indian ambassador's informal letter to the MoFA blames a dozen Central committee members of the Unified Maoists' Party including Mr. Ananta for carrying out the trainings to Indian Maoists.

The letter also claims that the trainings were being carried out in a jungle close to Hetauda of Makwanpur district and in Butwal of Rupandehi district.

The trainings were provided to the Indian Maoists who had gathered all the way from the states of Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh of India, the Indian ambassador's letter claims.

NOIDA shelter ultimately backfired.

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=8477

[RED DAVE]

The Bolsheviks negotiated constantly with the SRs, the Mensheviks and the other ant-Tsar parties during and after the Revolution, and this didn't end until for obvious reasons the Civil War put a stop to it.The Mensheviks and the SRs were revolutionary parties. What the UCPN(M) is doing is negotiaing with parties representing the capitalist class.


If you read histories of the time it is clear the Bolsheviks were in frantic negotiations with the SRs, the Mensheviks and even parties like the Cadets to try and get them to agree to a land reform package, an end to the war and so on.Show us what kind of negotiations the Bolsheviks were engaged in with the Cadets.


It was only the refusal of these forces to engage with the Bolshevik demands and take the Bolsheviks seriously that an armed seizure of power became essential - and even then, powerful forces within the Bolshevik part[y] argued against it.If parties like the Congress are not refusing the Maoist's demands, they're demanding the wrong things. Of course the other parties refused the Bolshevik demands. The Bolsheviks were making revolutionary demands, like "Peace, Bread and Land."


You are portraying the movement of a party towards revolutions as one straight, seamless and united path. That's not how the real world works, now or ever.You are portraying Marxist revolution as permitting compromises and deals with bourgeois parties. That's not how working class revolution works, now or ever. And you are distorting the history of the Russian Revolution to justify what it appears to be a massive sell-out, even in Maoist terms.

You want to use Lenin as a source. Show me one instance in the history of the Russian Revoluton where Lenin negotiated with bourgeois parties as to the nature of the rrevolutionary government. What the UCPN(M) is doing is the direct opposite of what Lenin and the Bolsheviks did.

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Archive article from 2007: the Prachanda Path:


"We are trying to undertake a new experiment in political construction, to reorganize Nepal’s state system through parliamentary process. We want a mixed economy. We want to build a new Nepal."(emph added)

http://www.laurencebrahm.com/nepal-peace-process/on-prachandas-path-to-peoples-nepal

RED DAVE

[Monkey Riding Dragon]

Every country that has had a sustained socialist system thus far has had to go through the democratic stage of revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat. Every country that sustained their socialist system for very long, from the Soviet Union to China, went through a certain period of less-than-fully-socialist development. So the call for a "mixed economy" here is not new in and of itself. What's "new" is that 1) Prachanda envisions the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat through peaceful, parliamentary means by way of establishing a national unity government, and 2) the particular form of that "mixed economy" we're talking about, which, in Prachanda's vision, is modeled not on the example of Maoist China, but on the example of Dengist China, (http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=5029) relying on "special economic zones" and so forth.

The point here is that this re-defines new democratic revolution as something other than revolution and as something other than new (a.k.a. genuinely proletarian) democracy. I have criticized that this agenda essentially corresponds to simply making Nepal into a Chinese puppet state as the method of escaping Indian domination. (e.g. "For Nepal’s national independence, it is critically important for Nepal to maintain intimate relations with China", insists Prachanda. A more recent illustration of this point might include, for example, the attendance of the Shanghai Expo.) Moreover, citing the example of the people's war of resistance against Japan as a means of rationalizing the abandonment of people's war in Nepal is preposterous.

In the citations of the Bolshevik example, what we're failing to do here is draw out any historic lessons from the experience in question. The failure of the Constituent Assembly methodology in Russia was a historic verdict on such methods of establishing and consolidating the dictatorship of the proletariat. Instead, only a course of civil war that involved shutting down the Constituent Assembly and eventually banning all the other parties (including the "revolutionary" Mensheviks) could successfully establish the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. It was not principally different in China after the close of WW2, when the United States and the Soviet Union (wrongly) led the way to the forging of an agreement to form a national unity government between the Chinese Communists on the one hand and the Kuomintang on the other. That experiment failed as well and in reality a people's republic could only be established through a process of revolutionary warfare. The comrades in Indonesia attempted this as well, in a much bigger way, embracing the idea of a "peaceful transition" in socialism through the establishment of a national unity government. They never gave up on the idea until after they were massacred in the hundreds of thousands. That was the result for them. The same sorts of efforts have already failed in Nepal as well, manifestly. Yet, unlike the Bolsheviks and the Chinese Communists, they keep coming back for more. They as yet have not learned the lesson. Or at least the leading elements haven't anyway. The "peace process" in Nepal, so long as it continues to be tried for, will keep failing until either the UCPN(M) completely surrenders the revolution or until they are destroyed. We need to actually learn from history, not just regurgitate facts about its progression, as if its course involved no mistakes on the part of the communist side.

Lenin, in fact, eventually came to the point of rejecting the whole idea of establishing national constitutions under socialism, viewing them as inherently bourgeois projects. So that was one thing he got out of all this experience. I don't know that we need to go that far, but the point is, again, that merely citing the fact that the Bolsheviks attempted a variation of the Constituent Assembly approach (through the seizure of power) ignores the historic lessons that are connected to the failure of that experiment.

The upcoming plenum will be very important in deciding what course will be correct for our genuine comrades in Nepal in the future and we should pay close attention to it. Everyone here knows that I take the side of Baidya's argument for the seizure of power, although I still think the only realistic way that's going to be successfully accomplished is by finishing the people's war rather than by attempting urban insurrections.

I would add that, as explained here in my most recent blog entry (http://www.revleft.com/vb/blog.php?b=1232), I'm a supporter of contested elections under socialism myself (as contrasted with a national referendum system), not unlike both Stalin and Mao at various points were. But I recognize that these elections need to still ultimately take the form of the structural dictatorship of the proletariat.

[RED DAVE]

Every country that has had a sustained socialist system thus far has had to go through the democratic stage of revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat.Needless to say, but I'm going to say it anyway, there is no justification, using Marxism, for calling the USSR after, say, 1928, or China, a "socialist system." The absolute, critical criterion for socialism is workers control of the economy. It can easily be demonstrated that this did not exist in either of these two examples.


Every country that sustained their socialist system for very long, from the Soviet Union to China, went through a certain period of less-than-fully-socialist development.This is a contradiction in terms. What you are saying is that for a "certain period" under socialism, the working class was not the ruling class. If this were the case, the society being described would not be socialism. A situation of dual power between the working class and the bourgeoisie occurs during the revolutionary process when the working class had not conquered state power. The result is motion towards socialism or back to capitalism.

In the USSR, the motion was rapidly towards state capitalism as the Russian bourgeoisie was not strong enough to achieve its revolution and take state power in its own name and the working class could not sustain power. The final triumph of private capitalism only occurred approximately 70 years later when state capitalism morphed into private capitalism.

In China, the working class never achieved even a modicum of state power. State capitalism was achieved almost immediately. It in turn, as in the USSR, morphed into private capitalism.


So the call for a "mixed economy" here is not new in and of itself.Actually, it's very new and represents the latest stage of the degeneration of Stalinism/Maoism. Just as social democracy has become more and more of a capitalist ideology, so has Stalinism/Maoism. The so-called "Prachanda Path" is the path directly to capitalism, state and private, with no apologies or lies about the workers power.


What's "new" is that 1) Prachanda envisions the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat through peaceful, parliamentary means by way of establishing a national unity government[.]Prachanda has no more intention of establishing a dictatorship of the proletariat than the Congress Party. In the interview quoted above, Prachanda does not even mention the working class. Here's a juicy little quote of his that's very revealing.


I agree that my leadership has taken a hit as people had a lot of expectations from my leadership – and it has not been possible to meet them. But no leader in the world can be at the peak forever. The charm is bound to climb down. A leader in his life sees lots of ups and downs. I am committed to our cause. As long as the leader is committed to his cause, he can always bounce back. As far as loosing the charm among the middle class is concerned, it can go up as abruptly as it has come down.Does this sound like the potential leader of the dictatorship of the proletariat or the potential leader of state capitalism?


[A]nd 2) the particular form of that "mixed economy" we're talking about, which, in Prachanda's vision, is modeled not on the example of Maoist China, but on the example of Dengist China, (http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=5029) relying on "special economic zones" and so forth.If we recognize that the UCPN(M) is a state capitalist party, then all this is predictable and more-or-less necessary.


The point here is that this re-defines new democratic revolution as something other than revolution and as something other than new (a.k.a. genuinely proletarian) democracy.New Democracy (and its European counterpart, Peoples Democracy) were never proletarian democracy. That's why state capitalism can possibly be established by pariamentary means and that all these societies can transform themselves into private capitalism without a civil war.

We can see this process happening in Cuba right before out eyes: state capitalism becoming private capitalism.


I have criticized that this agenda essentially corresponds to simply making Nepal into a Chinese puppet state as the method of escaping Indian domination.It's also making Nepal into state capitalism.


(e.g. "For Nepal’s national independence, it is critically important for Nepal to maintain intimate relations with China", insists Prachanda. A more recent illustration of this point might include, for example, the attendance of the Shanghai Expo.)All this is to be expected, one way or the other. A state capitalist Nepal will try to balance itself between China and India, but this has nothing to do with socialism. A socialist Nepal would be appealing to the Indian and Chinese working classes to defend it.


Moreover, citing the example of the people's war of resistance against Japan as a means of rationalizing the abandonment of people's war in Nepal is preposterous.Actually, since the CCP and the UCPN(M) were/are state capitalist parties, the parallel has its validity.


In the citations of the Bolshevik example, what we're failing to do here is draw out any historic lessons from the experience in question. The failure of the Constituent Assembly methodology in Russia was a historic verdict on such methods of establishing and consolidating the dictatorship of the proletariat.True. The purpose of calling for a Constituent Assembly is for the purpose of exposing the rottenness of the bourgeoisie and its lackies, not for the purpose of consolidating state power. That's why the Bolsheviks canceled the CA after the October Revolution. This is directly counter to what the UCPN(M) is doing.


Instead, only a course of civil war that involved shutting down the Constituent Assembly and eventually banning all the other parties (including the "revolutionary" Mensheviks) could successfully establish the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.It's always necessary to remember, and I hope that your quotation marks around "revolutionary" mean you do, that the Mensheviks, et al., were banned because they were counter-revolutionary. It was an unfortunate but necessary move. Too many people in the Stalinist/Maoist tradition have a taste for political repression based on a complete distortion of what the
Bolsheviks did.

In addition, one more time, a civil war in the countryside in the absence of a revolutionary effort in the cities will lead to state capitalism. To say otherwise is to say that a workers revolution can take place without the working class. This is, basically, the fundamental principle of Maoism.


It was not principally different in China after the close of WW2, when the United States and the Soviet Union (wrongly) led the way to the forging of an agreement to form a national unity government between the Chinese Communists on the one hand and the Kuomintang on the other.Since the CCP had already abandoned in practice the notion of the dictatorship of the proletariat, little would have been different.


That experiment failed as well and in reality a people's republic could only be established through a process of revolutionary warfare.This is problematic because, in practice, Maoists have abandoned the working class. Their strategy is to lead a peasant revolution and establish state capitalism (all under the banner of socialism). If revolutionary warfare in the countryside is not linked to struggles in the city, the result will always be state capitalism.

The crucial difference between the Bolshevik strategy and the Maoist strategy is that even in an undeveloped country like Russia, the Bolsheviks insisted on the working class as the leading class of the revolution. The reason that the Bolsheviks did not engage in revolutionary warfare in the countryside is that they had sunk their roots into the urban working class over a period of twenty or so years and the peasant revolt in Russia, due to the world war, took the form of an army revolt.

Except in their verbiage (and as we see with Prachanda even this can be abandoned easily), the Maoists do not have this perspective of placing the working class as the leading class of the revolution.


The comrades in Indonesia attempted this as well, in a much bigger way, embracing the idea of a "peaceful transition" in socialism through the establishment of a national unity government. They never gave up on the idea until after they were massacred in the hundreds of thousands. That was the result for them. The same sorts of efforts have already failed in Nepal as well, manifestly.Okay.


Yet, unlike the Bolsheviks and the Chinese Communists, they keep coming back for more. They as yet has not learned the lesson. Or at least the leading elements haven't anyway. The "peace process" in Nepal, so long as it continues to be tried for, will keep failing until either the UCPN(M) completely surrenders the revolution or until they are destroyed.I believe that there is an excellent chance that the UCPN(M) will take the leading role in establishing state capitalism in Nepal. This they can do with or without the cooperation of the bourgeois parties or in opposition to them, including revolutionary war.


We need to actually learn from history, not just regurgitate facts about its progression, as if its course involved no mistakes on the part of the communist side.Indeed we do need to learn. And the first learning that has to take place is that revolutionary warfare in the countryside without revolutionary organizing in the cities leads to state capitalism.


The upcoming plenum will be very important in deciding what course will be correct for our genuine comrades in Nepal in the future and we should pay close attention to it.We sure as shit should. Let us pray! Maybe a miracle will occur and a genuine proletarian faction will emerge.


Everyone here knows that I take the side of Baidya's argument for the seizure of power[.]Sure, but on what basis?


[A]lthough I still think the only realistic way that's going to be successfully accomplished is by finishing the people's war rather than by attempting urban insurrections.Back to the bullshit. What you are advocating is a peasant revolution lead by the Maoist party, with the working class playing no active role whatsoever. You've said it. That's what abandoning "attempting urban insurrections" means! If state power is not achieved by the working class through "urban insurrections," thus placing the working class at the head of the revolution, state capitalism is a guarantee.


I would add that, as explained here in my most recent blog entry (http://www.revleft.com/vb/blog.php?b=1232), I'm a supporter of contested elections under socialism myself (as contrasted with a national referendum system), not unlike both Stalin and Mao at various points were. But I recognize that these elections need to still ultimately take the form of the structural dictatorship of the proletariat.Liberal state capitalism as opposed to some other form. Whatever happened to the revolutionary institutions that the working class develops in the process of insurrection being the basis of the workers state? This doesn't appear to be part of your universe or that of any Maoists.

RED DAVE

[Saorsa]

Cantoned combatants also likely to attend Maoist extended CC meet
Tuesday, 16 November 2010 10:19

People's Liberation Army (PLA) combatants staying in various cantonments across the country are also likely to attend the sixth extended Central Committee meeting of Unified CPN (Maoist) slated to start in Palungtar of Gorkha from November 21.


Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal (File photo)
Over 1200 PLA commanders of various level are preparing to attend the CC meet in capacity of state committee members, sources say.

The plenum will be attended by about 6,000 members of various state committees under the party.

Combatants are preparing to attend the plenum as the party recognises combatants above section commanders equivalent to state committee members.

Sources said, the commanders in the cantonments are waiting for green signal from the PLA headquarters to attend the plenum.

However, the party has not taken on final decision on it due to possible protests from other parties. Nepali Congress and UML leaders had objected to the party's plan to include combatants in the plenum during the three-party high-level talks at Gokarna, Monday.

Maoist leaders and combatants say, the participation of combatants in the plenum will help to understand the combatants' position on integration and peace process.

If included, the combatants are preparing to demand for dignified integration and rehabilitation at the plenum.

Meanwhile, Maoist sources say, the hold of chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is much stronger compared to other two leaders Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidhya among the combatants.

Almost 1000 combatants to attend the plenum are considered supporters of Dahal, a Maoist source said. Chairman Dahal was the Supreme Commander of PLA during the conflict.

Military in charge Barshaman Pun, PLA deputy commander Chandra Prakash Khanal and former deputy commander Janardan Sharma Prabhakar have strong holds in the ranks and files of PLA. All three are considered close to chairman Dahal.

Sources say, all seven division commanders are supporters of Dahal, while deputy division commanders are divided. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/10834-combatants-participation-in-maoist-plenum-will-be-against-cpa.html

[Saorsa]

'Combatants' participation in Maoist plenum will be against CPA'
Tuesday, 16 November 2010 16:45
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Minister Minendra Rijal
Minister for Culture, Parliament and Constituent Assembly Affairs, Minendra Rijal on Tuesday urged the Unified CPN (Maoist) not to involve cantoned combatants in the upcoming extended plenum. Involvement of combatants would be against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Speaking at an interaction in the capital Tuesday, minister Rijal said, "It is against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement if the Maoists involve PLA members in the plenum because they are already under the Army Integration Special Committee."

Ministe Rijal further said, "The government will apply all means to stop UNMIN-verified PLAs from attending the Maoist's extended plenum."

"UCPN (Maoist) has no authority to take them to the meeting. If they breach the norms, they will be inviting conflict," he warned.

Meanwhile, Maoist secretary C.P Gajurel vowed to involve combatants in the extended central committee meeting of the party at any cost.

"The extended plenum will also have discussion session on the PLA. So, their participation is certain," Gajurel said in the same programme.

However, Gajurel claimed that the Maoists will involve their PLAs by seeking approval from the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC).

Gajurel also clarified that the meeting will discuss all the three papers prepared by chairman Puspha Kamal Dahal and two vice chairmen, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidhya. He said the media reports that only one paper is going to be presented are unfounded. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/10817-cantoned-combatants-also-likely-to-attend-maoist-extended-cc-meet.html

[Saorsa]

High-level taskforce fails to decide on land ownership ceiling
Wednesday, 17 November 2010 12:00

The high-level taskforce formed to settle the contentious issues to be incorporated in the new constitution has failed to sort out the differences on fixing a ceiling on land ownership.

A meeting of the taskforce at the office of the parliament's State Affairs Committee in Singha Durbar Wednesday morning ended inconclusively after the major parties - Unified CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and UML- remained adamant on their stances.


NWPP chairman Narayanman Bijukchhe
(File photo)
The meeting could not take any decision as the parties remained firm on their stances, said Narayanman Bijukchhe, chairman of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), who was present at the meeting.

Bijukchhe informed, the taskforce will meet again on December 1 to discuss the same agenda.

At today's meeting, the taskforce discussed whether or not to fix a ceiling on land ownership and whether or not to provide compensation when the state acquires land if a ceiling is fixed.

Unified CPN (Maoist) advocated for fixing a ceiling on land ownership and acquiring the land above the ceiling without any compensation.

However, Nepali Congress (NC) and UML are against fixing the ceiling in the first place.

At Wednesday's meeting, NC and UML agreed to fix a ceiling on land ownership only if UCPN (Maoist) agreed that the state should provide appropriate compensation to the owner while acquiring land above the ceiling.

The Madhes-based parties also supported the NC-UML idea.

Whether or not to provide compensation when acquiring land above the ceiling is the major dispute in the report submitted by the Committee on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles.

On Tuesday, the taskforce had agreed on ensuring the right to property and implementing a progressive land reform programme.

Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also the coordinator of the taskforce, was not present at today's meeting, which could be one reason the meeting could not take any decisions.

The next meeting of the taskforce is called on December 1 as Maoist leaders will be busy in their extended Central Committee meeting from November 21. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/10849-high-level-taskforce-fails-to-sort-out-difference-on-ceiling-on-land-ownership.html

[Saorsa]

Taskforce fails to decide on land ceiling issue

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Nov 17: A high-level taskforce meeting Wednesday couldn’t settle the dispute related to fixing ceiling on private property, land reforms and other related issues including compensation to landlords while acquiring their land.

The meeting which was held at Singhadurbar has decided to postpone the meeting till December 1 owing to the upcoming plenum of the main opposition UCPN (Maoist).



In the today’s meeting, UCPN (Maoist) and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party demanded to acquire land without paying proper compensation to the rightful owners.

The Supreme Court on May 6 ordered the Ministry of Land Reforms to implement the Land Related Law 2001 that says that a Nepali can possess a maximum of 10 bighas of land throughout the country.

The court passed the order in view of the fact that the law has remained unimplemented to date though its was enacted eight years ago.

The law says that the government shall acquire the land of a Nepali owning more than 10 bighas and distribute to squatters, free Kamaiyas and the poor.

Justices Kalyan Shrestha and Sushila Karki issued the order, in response to a public interest litigation filed by advocates Bharatmani Gautam and Khagendra Shrestha.
The lawyers had moved the court four years ago.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=25296

[Saorsa]

Three-way ideological split in UCPN-Maoist

Added At: 2010-11-16 11:24 PM Last Updated At: 2010-11-16 11:24 PM


Prakash Rimal
KATHMANDU: The Maoist documents speak volumes about serious and fundamental differences between three top leaders on several issues that they hold close to their hearts. These heavily jargon-laden documents, meant to be presented during the sixth plenum kicking off in Gorkha next week, indicate Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Mohan Baidhya and Dr Baburam Bhattarai hold irreconcilable positions.

In his document Prachanda clearly states there is a lack of consensus within the party. He has admitted that there are problems related to implementation of the party’s central committee decisions because responsible leaders have failed to evolve a consensus on party’s action plan and implementation.

Since he clearly does not represent the entire party as of now he hardly enjoys the mandate to discuss a consensus with other parties without having one inside his own party.

Mohan Baidhya clearly enunciates the futility of a democratic republic as a long term goal for Nepal. He has serious disagreement over the attempts to make democratic republic as a strategy “though it was correct to take it as slogan of immediate action plan”.

It was necessary to ink deal in the process of revolution but the party must not have plunged into a compromise – dissolution of people’s governments and declaring the end to people’s war, he argues. That was wrong, according to him. Baidhya and the faction that he represents do not appear serious about a democratic consensus government.

Dr Bhattarai attacks the policies followed by the Maoists so far and warns that continuing in the same vein would be incorrect. He is opposed to stalling the constitution-drafting process.

But the party leadership reversed the set priorities during the agitation in May. The year-long agitation against the government yielded no desired results and it created more confusion and suspicion among the party cadres and people, he states.

He has stressed the need to draft a progressive constitution with well-coordinated pressure of the people from the streets, Constituent Assembly and the party’s active participation in the government. “All the three fronts are a must to write a progressive constitution,” he argues.

But the consensus chant has begun again. The parliament has put off the “futile” voting until November 19 after the three big parties agreed on Monday to explore a consensus solution.

“The UCPN-Maoist leadership remains divided on its commitment to the peace and constitution-writing process,” said NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula. “This has affected the peace, constitution writing and government formation processes. The Maoist leaders should reconcile, evolve a consensus among themselves and come up with one version for the stalled processes to continue.”

They lack consensus within the party on the line to follow and need to have a single clear consensus line of their own before discussing the formation of a consensus government, Sitaula added.

Maoists themselves tend to downplay the differences and resulting impacts on the whole. “Minor confusions within the Maoist party may have had some impact because the party is leading the entire process,” said Ram Karki.

The Maoists, who have refused to move towards integration and disarming the YCL, should utilise the plenum to develop a single coherent line, acceptable to all factions instead of just repeating the consensus chants, according to NC and UML leaders.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Three-way+ideological+split+in+UCPN-Maoist&NewsID=265946

[Saorsa]

Three-way ideological split in UCPN-Maoist

Added At: 2010-11-16 11:24 PM Last Updated At: 2010-11-16 11:24 PM


Prakash Rimal
KATHMANDU: The Maoist documents speak volumes about serious and fundamental differences between three top leaders on several issues that they hold close to their hearts. These heavily jargon-laden documents, meant to be presented during the sixth plenum kicking off in Gorkha next week, indicate Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Mohan Baidhya and Dr Baburam Bhattarai hold irreconcilable positions.

In his document Prachanda clearly states there is a lack of consensus within the party. He has admitted that there are problems related to implementation of the party’s central committee decisions because responsible leaders have failed to evolve a consensus on party’s action plan and implementation.

Since he clearly does not represent the entire party as of now he hardly enjoys the mandate to discuss a consensus with other parties without having one inside his own party.

Mohan Baidhya clearly enunciates the futility of a democratic republic as a long term goal for Nepal. He has serious disagreement over the attempts to make democratic republic as a strategy “though it was correct to take it as slogan of immediate action plan”.

It was necessary to ink deal in the process of revolution but the party must not have plunged into a compromise – dissolution of people’s governments and declaring the end to people’s war, he argues. That was wrong, according to him. Baidhya and the faction that he represents do not appear serious about a democratic consensus government.

Dr Bhattarai attacks the policies followed by the Maoists so far and warns that continuing in the same vein would be incorrect. He is opposed to stalling the constitution-drafting process.

But the party leadership reversed the set priorities during the agitation in May. The year-long agitation against the government yielded no desired results and it created more confusion and suspicion among the party cadres and people, he states.

He has stressed the need to draft a progressive constitution with well-coordinated pressure of the people from the streets, Constituent Assembly and the party’s active participation in the government. “All the three fronts are a must to write a progressive constitution,” he argues.

But the consensus chant has begun again. The parliament has put off the “futile” voting until November 19 after the three big parties agreed on Monday to explore a consensus solution.

“The UCPN-Maoist leadership remains divided on its commitment to the peace and constitution-writing process,” said NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula. “This has affected the peace, constitution writing and government formation processes. The Maoist leaders should reconcile, evolve a consensus among themselves and come up with one version for the stalled processes to continue.”

They lack consensus within the party on the line to follow and need to have a single clear consensus line of their own before discussing the formation of a consensus government, Sitaula added.

Maoists themselves tend to downplay the differences and resulting impacts on the whole. “Minor confusions within the Maoist party may have had some impact because the party is leading the entire process,” said Ram Karki.

The Maoists, who have refused to move towards integration and disarming the YCL, should utilise the plenum to develop a single coherent line, acceptable to all factions instead of just repeating the consensus chants, according to NC and UML leaders.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Three-way+ideological+split+in+UCPN-Maoist&NewsID=265946

[mosfeld]

Nepal Maoists intensify anti-India campaign


Ahead of a key party meet, Nepal's Maoists have stepped up their anti-India campaign demanding an end to alleged "intervention" in their country and abolition of all "unequal" treaties.

"Stop Indian-intervention in Nepal and abolish all the unequal treaties including Nepal-India Friendship Treaty of 1950," reads a wall painting made by the UCPN-Maoist ahead of their much talked about plenum in Palungtar of Gorkha district in western Nepal, to be attended by hundreds of Maoist leaders and cadres on November 21.

The Maoists have also been blaming upon India for its inability to forming a government under its leadership despite the resignation tendered by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal five months ago.

Last month the Maoists had misbehaved with Indian ambassador Rakesh Sood in north-East Nepal's Solukhumbu district where he visited to construct various development projects under Indian assistance.

India has also lodged its concern with the government of Nepal regarding the Maoists providing training to Naxalites within its territory which have been denied by the Maoists.

The Maoists are making grand preparations for its extended meeting to be held in Gorkha district next week.

Ruling parties the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML and civil society members have criticised the Maoists plan to allow their People's Liberation Army commanders to participate in the plenum saying that it would violate the peace accord.

The participation of the Maoists' army personnel in the meeting will challenge the existence of the peace accord, said Nepali Congress leader and Minister for Energy Prakash Sharan Mahat.

The participation of some 1,400 PLA members in the meeting violates the Comprehensive Peace Accord, says senior journalist Pralhad Rijal.

Around 70 straw made hamlets have been constructed to accommodate some 6,000 Maoist cadres who are taking part in the grand meeting.

The Maoists have allocated around Rs.30 million for the event. Accommodation, food and drinking water and toilet facilities have been arranged for the plenum.

Maoist chair Prachanda, first vice chairman and hardliner leader Mohan Vaidya Kiran and second vice president and soft-liner leader Baburam Bhattarai are presenting three separate documents during their extended central body meeting.

Vaidya's political paper stresses the need for launching people's revolution immediately with a view to capturing power, whereas Baburam's paper talks about institutionalizing the democratic achievements including multiparty democracy and federal republican system and to go through election procedure instead of organising a revolt.

However, Prachanda stresses on completing the peace process and army integration and to opt for people's revolution only as an alternative means to attain power.

The leaders trio are currently busy to canvass the cadres in their favour during the plenum and to get their ideology endorsed from the meeting.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/297383/Nepal-Maoists-intensify-anti-India-campaign.html

[mosfeld]

UCPN (M) wants to win confidence of security agencies, says Bhattarai

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/images/stories/news_photo/baburam_bhattarai1.jpg

At a time when the UCPN (Maoist) has come under fire for preparing to involve its combatants in the upcoming extended plenum, party's vice chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai Wednesday said the party was ready separate from the combatants "at the earliest" and that it wanted to win confidence of all the security agencies including Nepal Army.

"We want to win trust of the Nepal Army and other security agencies. We don't want to annoy 150,000-strong forces just to pamper 19,000-strong PLA," Dr Bhattarai said while speaking at an interaction in the capital Wednesday.

Bhattarai maintained that since the Maoists had already become part of the state, and even led the government after joining the peace process, they recognise the Nepal Army as their own army.

Bhattarai's comment comes a day after the Nepal Army in a statement raised objection to the planned involvement of Maoist combatants in the extended plenum starting November 21 in Palungtar, Gurkha.

He also hit at other major parties for their stance that the Maoists would not be given government's leadership unless they turned into a "civilian party" by severing their links with the combatants.

"Some parties are arguing UCPN (Maoist) cannot be given government leadership before it cuts its ties with the PLA," he said, "They should have said this before the CA election, and before we joined the interim government. We were a civilian party for them at that time."

Arguing that such a stance is intended at derailing the peace process, Bhattarai claimed the Maoist party was ready to separate itself from the combatants at the earliest.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/10863-ucpn-m-wants-to-win-confidence-of-security-agencies-says-bhattarai.html

[mosfeld]

Nepal – Maoist Leaders Wooing Cadres Ahead of Plenum

http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/new_road.jpg

Kathmandu, Nov.9: With the fifth party plenum fast approaching, Unified Communist Party Nepal – Maoist , (UCPN (Maoist), leaders have intensified their forays into districts outside Kathmandu to woo party cadres toward their respective factions.

The second and third rung of leaders loyal to each of the three Maoist factions have become busy holding functions and meeting cadres in districts to win their support during the jumbo party plenum that will begin November 21 in Gorkha district.

The Maoist party is vertically divided into three factions led by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya and Vice-chairman Br. Baburam Bhattarai, respectively.


The top three leaders, who represent different ideological lines, will present separate political documents at the jumbo party meet that will see participation of over 5,500 membrs of Maoist state committees.

The leaders, whether in Kathmandu or outside, are employing all the means available to bolster their respective factions.

“Yes, I am in constant touch with the cadres and talking to them for their support,” said a Maoist central leader who is canvassing support for Dahal.

According to sources, Haribol Gajurel in the eastern region, Agni Sapkota and Barsaman Pun and Shakti Basnet in the central region and Lekhraj Bhatta in the western region are working hard to win the cadres’ support for party chairman Dahal.

Similarly, CP Gajurel in the eastern region, Kul Prasad KC in the central region and Netra Bikram Chand in the western region are actively seeking support for Mohan Baidya. Likewise, Ganga Shrestha, Devendra Poudel and Khagaraj Bhatta are canvassing support for Bhattarai in the eastern, central and western regions respectively.

And there have been attempts by one faction to disrupt the campaigns of others, and attack others’ strongholds.

The current tussle for cadres’ support spilled over in the media after Gajurel of the east, who is also in charge of the Maoist Kochila State, tried to prevent the local cadres from meeting Dr. Bhattarai in Biratnagar.

“Bhattarai made a sudden attack on Dahal’s stronghold in Kochila state, and achieved a remarkable success,” says a leader close to Bhattarai.

Party insiders say Bhattarai faction has become more aggressive in its campaign than the other two. “As Dahal and Bhattarai were in the same faction after the Chungwang meeting, the latter did not care much about organizational strength. So he has become active to expand his strength,” says a central leader.

According to leaders, Dahal looks strong in Maoist Tamuwan, Tamsaling and Newa states, Baidya in Magarat, Tharuwan and Bheri-Karnali , and Bhattarai in Limbuwan Madhes and Seti-Mahakali.

“But we cannot definitely say who is strong where. The results might come as a complete surprise. What is clearly seen now is that the intra-party tussle has become three-cornered,” says a leader.

Leaders say the Gorkha plenum will mark an important point in the history of the Maoist party as it will chart out the party’s new strategy.

The three top leaders are at loggerheads over the immediate working policy of the party. If a “people’s revolt” to seize state power is an immediate priority for Baidya to achieve the communist ideological goals, it is only the last resort for Bhattarai. But Dahal is ambiguous in his stance on the issue, though he looks close to Bhattarai who wants to first institutionalize the political achievements made so far. Similarly, Dahal and Baidya are for declaring India the principal enemy, while Bhattarai is for declaring “domestic feudalism” the principal enemy.

The participants will be divided into various groups, each of which will form its opinion and present them at the meeting. A the end, Dahal will prepare another document by accommodating all the views. But if Baidya and Bhattarai don’t become satisfied, they can hold on to their political documents. Then the conflict will be resolved in the general convention.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/nepal-maoists-build-for-party-meeting-nov-21st/

[maskerade]

I know we don't really have enough information to make our own conclusions, but I'm really starting to dislike this Bhattarai fellow. I don't think the Maoists should ever separate themselves from the PLA (unless they are integrated into the army, of course)

[RED DAVE]

"We want to win trust of the Nepal Army and other security agencies. We don't want to annoy 150,000-strong forces just to pamper 19,000-strong PLA," Dr Bhattarai said while speaking at an interaction in the capital Wednesday.

Bhattarai maintained that since the Maoists had already become part of the state, and even led the government after joining the peace process, they recognise the Nepal Army as their own army.(EMPH ADDED)

Gimme an "S" - S
Gimme an "E" - E
Gimme an "L" - L
Gimme an "L" - L
Gimme an "O" - O
Gimme an "U" - U
Gimme an "T" - T

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

I know we don't really have enough information to make our own conclusions[.]Actually, we do.


ut I'm really starting to dislike this Bhattarai fellow. I don't think the Maoists should ever separate themselves from the PLA (unless they are integrated into the army, of course)You are correct in this latter assertion. Without a base in the working class, the main force that the Maoists have is their army. To undermine the strength of this army is an act of political betrayal.

As everyone knows, I am no big fan of the UCPN(M), but even on their political terms, this is a sellout.

[B]RED DAVE

[Homo Songun]

Gosh, I can imagine the soul searching you must have done to have to reluctantly come to such a heart breaking conclusion, Dave. :lol:

Anyways, this is not a sell out per se, since it is just some Party bigwig spouting off about what the Party should do, not what the Party has actually done.

I'm curious, though. Do you actually believe the Maoists have no working class base at this point in time? In other words, their support has been wiped out since they got the simple majority in the Constituent Assembly?

[Homo Songun]

KATHMANDU: A month after the guerrilla army of Nepal's Maoist party, that had fought a 10-year civil war against the state, hit the headlines for going to China (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/China) without informing the government, a fresh row has erupted over the fighters' upcoming attendance at a crucial political meeting next week with Nepal's prime minister Friday warning it would impact the peace process negatively.

The new controversy snowballed after Nepal's media reported that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the Maoists, that was to have been formally dissociated from the parent party and brought under the control of a special committee headed by the prime minister himself, was readying to send nearly 1300 combatants to participate in the sixth plenum of the Maoists. The key meeting, to be held in Palungtar village in western Gorkha district from Sunday, will decide the national politics of the once underground party and its future strategies.

There has been a series of objections to the PLA attending a political meeting. There are over 19,000PLA fighters who are still waiting to be either discharged and rehabilitated or be merged with the national army. Any political affiliation is bound to mar the combatants' chances of making it to the national army.

The two biggest ruling parties, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's Communist Party (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Communist-Party) of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, and the Nepali Congress, have already objected to it. The prime minister himself spelled out the government stand before a parliamentary committee on Friday, telling the State Affairs Committee that if the PLA, currently confined to barracks supervised by the UN, took part in the Gorkha meet without the government's consent, it would affect the peace deal that four years ago ended the Maoist insurgency and helped the underground party return to mainstream politics.

The UN Mission in Nepal (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Nepal) (UNMIN), the UN agency that is monitoring the 28 PLA camps, has also expressed concern at the row. UNMIN chief Karin Landgren sent a letter to the Maoists (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Maoists) Thursday, conveying her concern that the PLA turn-up at the plenum could have a negative impact on the peace pact.

This week, an influential ally of the Nepal government, the US, also asked the Maoists to give up their military force. "The most important component of the peace process is the integration and rehabilitation of the approximately 19,000 Maoist combatants," American ambassador to Nepal Scott DeLisi said during a programme in Kathmandu on Thursday. "We have strongly urged the Maoists, whose role is central to this process, to allow it to move forward and complete it as rapidly as possible. Until they cut their links with their former insurgent military forces their commitment to peace and democracy will be questioned and others will not feel confident enough in their intentions to make the necessary compromises on critical issues of constitution drafting and power-sharing... So long as they retain a military force, they cannot credibly engage in a democratic political dialogue."

The Maoists however have defended the move, saying the PLA participation in the plenum had been approved by the two ruling parties. Maoist deputy chief Dr Baburam Bhattarai said the ruling parties had agreed to a limited number of PLA fighters attending the Gorkha meet. He also said it would help the PLA learn about the policies of the party and facilitate their integration and rehabilitation.

The Maoists are already locked in a separate row with India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/India) with New Delhi (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/New-Delhi) alleging that the Maoists are providing arms training to their Indian comrades, a charge that Nepal's prime minister said was being investigated.



[/URL]



[url]http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Nepals-Maoist-army-in-fresh-row/articleshow/6956777.cms (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Nepals-Maoist-army-in-fresh-row/articleshow/6956777.cms#ixzz15lJUEi6o)

[mosfeld]

Sever Ties with PLA: US to Maoists

http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/nepal-pla-soldiers-during-pw-e1267424749916.jpg

Kathmandu Nov. 18: The US has urged the UCPN (Maoist) to sever its relation with ex-combatants if the party wants its commitment to democracy and peace unquestioned, while calling on the other parties to assure the Maoists of integration and rehabilitation of ex-combatants on “fair terms”.

The US has also asked the non-Maoist parties to assure the Maoists that they will not be excluded from national politics.

The US urged the UCPN (Maoist), “whose role is central to the peace process”, to let the integration and rehabilitation of their ex-fighters move forward so that the process is completed “as early as possible.”

“Unless they cut their links with their former insurgent military forces, their commitment to peace and democracy will be questioned and others will not feel confident enough to make the necessary compromises on critical issues of constitution drafting and power sharing,” US Ambassador to Nepal Scott H. DeLisi said addressing a function at the Central Department of Political Science at Tribhuvan University on Thursday. DeLisi said the Maoists do not need a military force to pursue their political agenda and they cannot “credibly engage in a democratic political dialogue.” until they continue to have one.

“Now is the time to close the Maoist combatants and move the country forward,” the US ambassador further said.

Sharing the US interests in Nepal with the professors and students of political science in Kirtipur, the US envoy also emphasized that all issues relating to the peace process should be resolved before UNMIN leaves Nepal after 58 days. He also encouraged the political parties to agree on modality of integration and rehabilitation of over 19,000 ex-Maoist fighters.

The US envoy also emphasized that it would be better if all the issues relating to the peace process are resolved before the UNMIN leaves Nepal. “The peace process will not collapse after UNMIN leaves as the international community will continue to offer its support. But now is the opportunity to resolve these issues once and for all while UNMIN is still here,” he said.

The US call for parties to focus with urgency on the peace process have come at a time when parties’ commitment to complete the peace process by January15,2011 is under question as parties continue to struggle amidst a deep political stalemate to find out an agreed modality on concluding the peace process.

Saying that the Maoists may finally be getting more serious about the peace process, he urged other parties to respond with a similar spirit.

Reading out eight-page remarks that outlined his country’s interests in Nepal, the envoy also expressed US willingness to help fund the secretariat’s work, set up field offices and support vocational training for ex-Maoist combatants to be rehabilitated in society, if parties want to.

The ambassador opined that lack of trust among parties has complicated their efforts to reach agreement on political issues.

DeLisa said the US wants to see the new constitution to uphold democratic values, including respect for independence of the judiciary, separation of powers, press freedom, regular and open democratic elections. He was, however, straightforward in saying that the US does not have any prescription for the “right constitution” in Nepal.

According to DeLisi, peace process, democratic constitution, security sector reform, enhancing the rule of law and human rights, development agenda and economic growth, among others are main areas of US interest in Nepal.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/nepal-u-s-tells-maoists-to-sever-ties-with-pla/

[Saorsa]

I'm curious, though. Do you actually believe the Maoists have no working class base at this point in time? In other words, their support has been wiped out since they got the simple majority in the Constituent Assembly?


Dave is well aware that the Maoists have a base in the working class. They are a genuine vanguard party, in the sense of a party that is made up of and is under the control of the most advanced revolutionary sections of the working class and peasantry. There has been enormous amounts of evidence provided to support this conclusion - he has seen all of it.

Dave is, unfortunately, politically dishonest. He makes slanderous claims, has them proven wrong, and continues to make them. His latest bizarre lie is that the Maoists have never bother to build and do not currently enjoy a base among the working class. He knows this is a lie. As a result of this dishonesty, I rarely bother to reply to his bullshit any more. I have better things to do.

[Saorsa]

House prorogued after Maoist assault REPUBLICA TEAM

KATHMANDU, Nov 20: The course of Nepali politics seems to have once again changed at midnight. Following confrontation with the Maoists in parliament, the government has prorogued the House and decided to bring the budget through an ordinance on Saturday.

President Ram Baran Yadav, as per the decision of the cabinet, prorogued the House session and sent a letter to this effect to parliament following a mid-night meeting at his residence with Prime Minister Madav Kumar Nepal.


Immediately after the President prorogued the House, Prime Minister Nepal convened an emergency cabinet meeting and decided to bring the budget through an ordinance at 4 pm on Saturday. A special resolution passed by the meeting said, “The Council of Ministers strongly condemns the vandalism and manhandling in parliament. These anarchical activities are aimed at pushing the country toward a serious financial crisis.”

Justifying the cabinet decision to bring the budget through ordinance, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey said, “Since the secrecy about tax rates were leaked after the scuffle in parliament we had no option but to announce the budget through ordinance.”

Earlier in parliament, Maoist lawmakers had disrupted the House session and resorted to vandalism and manhandling soon after Speaker Subas Nembang permitted Finance Minister Pandey to table the budget.

Maoist lawmaker Chandra Bahadur Thapa manhandled Pandey and snatched the briefcase containing the budget booklet. Other Maoist lawmakers also manhandled some ministers and lawmakers belonging to the ruling party. Following the confrontation, Speaker Nembang adjourned the House till December 2.

The government has accused the Maoist party of breaching an agreement reached between Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal late in the evening to allow the government to table a full budget in parliament.

Addressing a press conference on parliament premises at midnight, Finance Minister Pandey claimed that the Maoist chairman had told Prime Minister Nepal that his party, as a responsible opposition, would allow the government to present a budget and would only register a symbolic protest. “You all have seen what happened at parliament,” Pandey told the reporters.

The government and the Maoists were at loggerheads over the budget for a long time until three parties—Maoist, NC and UML – reached a decision to bring the budget, during the last round of tripartite talks held at Gokarna Resort. However, differences persisted between the government and the Maoists about what should be the right process for presenting the budget in parliament as the latter kept on changing their stance.

http://www.myrepublica.com/news_images/5919.jpg

Maoist Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha, however, accused the government of trying to bulldoze the opposition. “The government tried to bring a full-fledged budget, which was not what we had agreed to,” he said, adding, “We had agreed with the parties that the government will introduce a budget only to resolve the financial crisis by amending Article 96. It means the government will present only a Finance Bill that confers powers to spend only two-thirds of the previous budget.”

Parties deplore manhandling

Ruling parties, the prime minister, the speaker and various political leaders have deplored the manhandling of ministers and vandalism in parliament by Maoist lawmakers.

Major ruling parties –NC, CPN-UML, MPRF (D) and TMDP among others - who met shortly after the confrontation at parliament, issued a joint statement condemning the incident. “The incident is a mockery of the sovereign parliament elected by the people.” It further added: “It’s a serious conspiracy against democracy.”

They have also demanded that the speaker probe the incident and book those involved in manhandling and vandalism in parliament. They urged the government to bring a budget as soon as possible in view of the looming financial crisis.

Talking to media while emerging from the parliament building, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said, “These types of activities should be denounced from all sides.”

Nepali Congress leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said the incident of manhandling and vandalism vindicated the view that the Maoists do not believe in any constitutional system.

“This substantiates the fact that they believe in terror. They do not believe in the rule of law,” he said.

Dr Mahat alleged that the Maoists breached the understanding reached two days ago to bring a new budget. “They also breached the understanding reached today. The Maoists had agreed to play the role of a constructive opposition party,” he said.

I will take action against guilty: Speaker Nembang

While terming the manhandling and vandalism in parliament on the part of Maoist lawmakers as ‘unfortunate’ and ‘deplorable’, Speaker Subash Nembang has vowed to take action against the guilty in the incident.

“The incidents that have taken place today are unfortunate and regrettable happenings in our entire parliamentary history,” Speaker Nembang said while emerging from parliament. “I express deep sorrow and regret over the incidents.”

Nembang said there have been incidents of manhandling and thrashing in parliament. “The vandalism has caused a great loss in the assembly hall,” he said, adding: “I will take action according to existing law against those involved in the incidents.”

Asked why he did not issue a ruling to avert such a situation, Speaker Nembang said, “You all have seen the incident. I do not want to make any comment on this. The guilty will be punished as per parliamentary regulations.”

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=25386

[Saorsa]

Maoist extended CC meeting beginning today

The sixth extended Central Committee (CC) meeting of the Unified CPN (Maoist), viewed with much importance within and outside the party, is beginning Sunday afternoon in Palungtar of Gorkha district.

Some 6,000 delegates from across the country have arrived in Palungtar for the important extended CC meet. The delegates include over 1,000 People's Liberation Army (PLA) members staying in various cantonments.

Maoist leadership decided to include the PLA members in such large numbers despite objection from other parties, Nepal Army and the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) - monitoring the peace process in Nepal.

Central leaders including chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, vice chairmen Mohan Baidhya, Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha, among others reached the plenum venue Saturday evening.

The extended CC meet will begin after a Central Committee meeting approves the agenda set by the standing committee this morning.

Three separate political dossiers prepared by chairman Dahal and vice chairmen Baidhya and Bhattarai will be presented at the plenum. This is the first time three separate dossiers are being presented at a Maoist plenum.

The extended CC meet is viewed with importance as it is taking place at a time when the party is going through grave internal differences and the nation's peace process is going through a critical juncture.

Extended CC is the highest body in UCPN (Maoist) as it does not hold a general convention. This is the sixth extended CC meeting of the party and the second after the beginning of the peace process in 2006.

The fifth extended CC meet had taken place in Balaju, Kathmandu three years ago. There were fewer participants in the previous meet.

Logistics and Security

Tamuwan State Committee of the UCPN (Maoist) has taken charge of arranging the logistics for the plenum.

It has constructed over 500 huts from local materials equipped with water and electricity to house the delegates. Half the delegates will be housed at the huts, while the other half will be accommodated at the houses of local people.

Food will be served through 44 different places. A private catering company has been contracted to feed the delegates and the volunteers. The party is paying about Rs 10 million to the catering for the service.

A Hall with capacity to accommodate about 6,000 people has also been constructed.

A health centre with 50 health personnel including eight doctors has been established to take care of the health of the delegates.

About 1,500 volunteers including cadres of Young Communist League and the student wing of the Maoists have been deployed.

YCL has taken charge of the security of the meeting Hall, while Nepal Police and Armed Police Force will guard the plenum venue from outside the meeting hall and the accommodation huts. nepalnews.com




http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/10947-maoist-extended-cc-meeting-beginning-today.html

[Saorsa]

The issue of PLA fighters taking part in the plenum has become a major controversy in Nepal.

Maoists decide PLA participation, snub UNMIN KIRAN CHAPAGAIN/KOSH RAJ KOIRALA

KATHMANDU, Nov 20: Despite objection from political parties and UNMIN, the UCPN (Maoist) is going to let its combatants above the rank of battalion commander participate in its plenum slated to start from Sunday.

Spokesperson of the People´s Liberation Army (PLA) Chandra Prakash Khanal told Republica that a meeting of the party late Friday evening decided to let the combatants attend the much-awaited, largest-ever gathering of the party.


"We informed the parties and UNMIN on Friday that some 400-450 combatants above the rank of battalion commander are participating in the plenum," said Khanal, known as Baldev within the party, "We have informed them why their participation in the plenum is necessary."

According to Khanal, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Friday told Nepali Congress and CPN-UML leaders that the combatants will attend the plenum. The parties have protested the combatants´ participation in a political program like the plenum because such a move will complicate their proposed integration and rehabilitation.

Similarly UNMIN, in a letter to Maoist Chairman Dahal on Thursday, objected to the combatants´ participation in the plenum, saying such a move would breach the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Agreement on the Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies.

But the Maoists have argued that the participation will enable the combatants to better understand their integration and rehabilitation and facilitate their management.

Earlier in the afternoon, a standing committee meeting of the UCPN (Maoist) had taken up the PLA participation issue and decided to talk to UNMIN and to the parties about it. "They will be participating in the plenum in such a way that their participation will not breach the spirit of the constitution and understanding among the parties," Maoist Spokesperson Dinanath Sharma told journalists after the standing committee meeting.

Amidst political controversy over the PLA´s participation, Republica talked to PLA Spokesperson Khanal about the issue.

Excerpts:

What do you say to the parties´ and UNMIN´s objection to PLA participation in the plenum?

UNMIN has not categorically said that we cannot take the combatants to the plenum. The participation of the PLA won´t violate the CPA and AMMAA. There is no new logic in it. It has been clearly mentioned in the AMMAA that combatants would be released after fulfilling certain criteria. And those criteria have not been fulfilled yet.

Just a part of that process has been accomplished so far. The constitution, army integration and government formation should go together. The integration process cannot move ahead alone. Only if there is a package agreement on all these three issues will integration move smoothly.

A Special Committee meeting held on September 17 had decided that the Maoist combatants had been brought under the Special Committee. Since the process has already begun, is it good for Maoist combatants to participate in the plenum?

Not as many members of the PLA as reported will take part in the plenum. In fact, they are not going there to obstruct the current process but to facilitate it. This will help bring great benefit. We have our own complexities. This will help to balance things within our party. We have our own calculations. We have to integrate them. We have to separate them from the party. If the peace process moves in a right direction, this will be the last time for the PLA to participate in a formal function of the party. The PLA will also give its suggestions to the party. This is why we think that PLA should take part in the plenum. Since the PLA men have not come fully under the Special Committee we feel that it is good for them to participate in the plenum.

You said you have your own compulsions for taking the PLA to the extended plenum. What are the compulsions?

There are no compulsions as such. There will be big discussions on army integration during the extended plenum. There will be discussions on modality of integration, number of combatants to be integrated and whether to demand formation of a separate force for the PLA. These things cannot be settled without PLA participation. We will prepare the modality and our position on army integration.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=25397

[Saorsa]

Unruly scenes in House; budget shelved

• Maoist lawmakers manhandle Finance Minister, snatch briefcase • Document leaked: Pandey
Added At: 2010-11-20 10:06 AM
Last Updated At: 2010-11-20 10:51 AM

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Arjun Bhandari

KATHMANDU: The greatest ever parliamentary drama was staged in the House today, to say the least, while the finance minister was on his way to table the long overdue budget for this fiscal.

Unified CPN-Maoist lawmakers not only obstructed him from getting to the rostrum but also snatched the briefcase containing copies of the annual budget Finance Minister Surendra Pandey was carrying.

Rajkaji Maharjan, Chandra Bahadur Thapa and Lekhraj Bhatta of the UCPN-Maoist snatched the briefcase just as Speaker Subas Nembang gave a nod to Pandey to table the budget late midnight.

The Maoist lawmakers returned the ‘damaged briefcase’ later to Pandey, who levelled charges against the Maoists, saying, “They committed a crime by disclosing the secret document of the state before it could be presented.”

Pandey said disclosure of the unpublished budget estimates could have serious implications in revenue collection as all the customs points had been sealed today in the wake of scheduled budget presentation.

What was a bit shameless on the part of lawmakers of ruling and opposition parties, they engaged in a scuffle for about six minutes before the Speaker adjourned the House till December 2. The 17th prime ministerial run-off is scheduled for the same day.

A few lawmakers and ministers, including Pandey and Energy Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, sustained minor injuries in the scuffle.

Today’s House session was delayed by almost nine hours, as leaders from the ruling and main opposition parties kept struggling to reach an understating on tabling the budget. But, it still seems that they made a complete mockery of ‘understanding’ on November 15.

In a briefly-held press conference after today’s House pandemonium, ministers termed the Maoist behaviour ‘barbaric’ and said the Maoists ‘were hell-bent on making the mockery of democracy, peace process and the constitution’.

The government also drew Speaker Nembang’s attention towards his failure to issue a ruling to the marshals to control the Maoist lawmakers, who went unruly. However, the ministers present at the press meet said the Speaker was ‘saddened’ by the incident.

The political parties backing the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government issued a statement condemning the Maoists’ boisterous behaviour. An emergency Cabinet meeting was also held to take stock of the situation immediately late in the night. The ministers said the government would bring the budget at any cost but did not say how and when.

Earlier on November 15, top leaders of the three major parties had agreed to bring the budget on consensus basis and the parties had assigned three former finance ministers — Baburam Bhattarai, Ram Sharan Mahat and Bharat Mohan Adhikari — to do the groundwork on tabling the budget.

They had agreed not to bring any new programme apart from regular expenditures, the ongoing programmes and new programmes to be signed with donor agencies. An agreement to make some changes in revenue collection was also reached.

The former finance ministers had also agreed to amend the interim constitution by adding a new clause in the Article 96 (a), allowing the government to present a full budget.

The Maoists had also agreed to let the President remove ‘constitutional difficulties’ — cutting short the time required to approve the amendment Bill — paving the way for tabling the budget the same day the amendment Bill is approved. “But the Maoist leaders later chickened out,” said NC leader Ram Mahat, also a former finance minister.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nepal had held five rounds of talks with Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who, according to Minister Pandey, had given a nod to present the budget under Article 93 of the constitution, but said, ‘UCPN-M lawmakers would launch a symbolic protest’.

But Dahal, Narayankaji Shrestha and Bhattarai were nowhere to be seen by the time House went into today’s regular business.

What is more interesting is, the government earlier today had dropped the idea of tabling the amendment Bill after the Maoists objected to it saying ‘they had made a mistake by agreeing to the idea’.

“The Maoists’ behaviour in the House today clearly indicates that they don’t believe in democratic process and they want to destroy the whole system,” said Energy Minister Mahat.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Unruly+scenes+in+House%3B+bu dget+shelved&NewsID=266325&a=3

[Saorsa]

UCPN (Maoist) Standing Comm meeting ends; take major decisions on party's 'extended meeting' Sunday, 21 November 2010 11:12

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The Standing Committee meeting of UCPN (Maoist) has ended in Palungtar of Gorkha district, the venue for the much-awaited central plenum (extended meeting) of the main opposition party, Sunday, deciding to hold discussion on all three political dossiers to be presented by party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice Chairmen Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidya.

The meeting also decided to inaugurate the central plenum of the party at 1 pm today afternoon including the modality of discussion on the political dossiers.

Talking to media-persons after the meeting, Maoist spokesperson Dina Nath Sharma said that the meeting also decided to hold the discussion on the political dossiers in three sessions: a. Inauguration, b. Closed Session, and c. Final Session in the span of a maximum five days.

He also informed that the Central Committee meeting of the party is due to be held shortly.

National and international medias are in Palungtar to cover the much-awaited central plenum through which the former rebel party is
expected to adopt a new "party line". nepalnews.co


UCPN (Maoist) Standing Comm meeting ends; take major decisions on party's 'extended meeting'

The Standing Committee meeting of UCPN (Maoist) has ended in Palungtar of Gorkha district, the venue for the much-awaited central plenum (extended meeting) of the main opposition party, Sunday, deciding to hold discussion on all three political dossiers to be presented by party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice Chairmen Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidya.

The meeting also decided to inaugurate the central plenum of the party at 1 pm today afternoon including the modality of discussion on the political dossiers.

Talking to media-persons after the meeting, Maoist spokesperson Dina Nath Sharma said that the meeting also decided to hold the discussion on the political dossiers in three sessions: a. Inauguration, b. Closed Session, and c. Final Session in the span of a maximum five days.

He also informed that the Central Committee meeting of the party is due to be held shortly.

National and international medias are in Palungtar to cover the much-awaited central plenum through which the former rebel party is
expected to adopt a new "party line".

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/10950-ucpn-maoist-standing-comm-meeting-ends-take-major-decisions-on-partys-extended-meeting.html

[Saorsa]

The President resorted to using emergency powers.

Govt unveils Rs 337.9 billion budget through ordinances


Added At: 2010-11-20 4:06 PM
Last Updated At: 2010-11-20 6:35 PM

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http://www.revleft.com/vb/includes/vignette.php?img=../newsImages/nepaliNews/THTEFA497DD_Budget2.jpg&h=196&w=296&c=1 (http://www.revleft.com/vb/#)RAJESH GURUNG
Finance Minister Surendra Prasad Pandey delivering the budget speech for current fiscal year on Saturday.





THT ONLINE

KATHMANDU: A day after the UCPN-Maoist obstruction to the tabling of the full fledged budget in parliament, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey on Saturday announced the fiscal budget of Rs 337.9 billion for the year 2010/11 through ordinances at the National Planning Commission hall in Kathmandu.

Out the total budget, Rs 190.32 billion has been allocated under the recurrent expenditure heading, while Rs 129.54 billion, under the capital expenditure heading. Under the principal repayment heading, Rs Rs 18.42 billion has been allocated.

In the budget, Rs 1.21 billion has been allocated for the widening and opening of remaining track of Mid-hills Highway (Puspa Lal Highway) and Rs. 630 million for the construction of Syafrubesi- Rasuwagadi Road under North-South linking highway.

Also Rs 2. 81 billion has been allocated for the construction of the first phase of 640 kilometers long Postal Highway which passes through East to West Terai to be completed within the next 30 months. Similarly, Rs. 680 million has been allocated for the construction of Kathmandu- Terai/Madhesh Fast Track Road.

Under the reconstruction, rehabilitation and combatants reconciliation, a sum of Rs. 1.88 billion has been allocated for monthly allowances and livelihood for the combatants and management of the temporary camps. The funds will issued until the completion of reconciliation and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.

In the agriculture sector, the government has allocated Rs. 1 billion to be spent on providing concessional loans to the livestock raising farmers to be lent through Small Farmers Development Bank and Small Farmers Cooperatives. Another Rs. 2.75 billion has been allocated on chemical and organic fertilizer, while Rs. 980 million, allocated for the research and development program.

The government has allocated Rs. 100 million for the 6th Grand National Sports Competition to be held in February/March of 2011 and another Rs. 40 million has been allocated for the construction of cricket grounds of international standard in Mulpani of Kathmandu and Bhairahawa of Rupandehi.

A total sum of Rs. 57.65 billion has been allocated for the education sector. This allocation is 17.1 percent of the total budget and it represents an increase of 24.5 percent compared to last Fiscal Year.

A sum of Rs. 3.04 billion has been allocated for the social mobilization, income generation, self-employment, small community infrastructure development, skill enhancement and creative programs with focus on Dalit, Madhesi, ethnic groups and backward groups falling below the poverty line.

After the House's budget session was prorogued Friday night, President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav had issued Appropriation Ordinance, Financial Ordinance, Ordinance related to National Debt and Debt and Guarantee Ordinance today as per the Interim Constitution of Nepal.

Minister Pandey delivered the "Public Statement on Income and Expenditure of Fiscal Year 2010/11" in presence of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and other senior government officials. The speech was telecast live by several new channels.

"As the full fledged budget for this Fiscal Year could not be presented before the Legislature- Parliament due to special circumstances, I had presented a special budget in July 2010 as per the Article 96(a) of the Interim Constitution of Nepal," said Minister Pandey while delivering the speech.

In his speech, Minister Pandey also claimed that the ordinances and budget are in line with the consensus reached earlier among political parties.

Click here (http://thehimalayantimes.com/Video/documents/budgetspeech_english.pdf) to read the full text of the budget speech (http://thehimalayantimes.com/Video/documents/budgetspeech_english.pdf) and the annex of the budget (http://thehimalayantimes.com/Video/documents/budget_2010-11_annex.pdf).

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Govt+brings+in+Rs+337.9+bill ion-budget+through+ordinances&NewsID=266358

[red cat]

(EMPH ADDED)

Gimme an "S" - S
Gimme an "E" - E
Gimme an "L" - L
Gimme an "L" - L
Gimme an "O" - O
Gimme an "U" - U
Gimme an "T" - T

RED DAVE

Doesn't this qualify as trolling ?

[RED DAVE]

Doesn't this qualify as trolling ?Instead of complaining, why don't you explain why the actions of the UCPN(M) don't constitute a sellout?

RED DAVE

[red cat]

Instead of complaining, why don't you explain why the actions of the UCPN(M) don't constitute a sellout?

RED DAVE

The question is whether the type of post that one is, are considered troll-posts or not.

As for your queries, I would first like to know what your ideal revolution or worker's control would be like and how it would hold out against enemies. I have asked this question to you earlier and you haven't come up with an answer yet.

[RED DAVE]

The question is whether the type of post that one is, are considered troll-posts or not.

As for your queries, I would first like to know what your ideal revolution or worker's control would be like and how it would hold out against enemies. I have asked this question to you earlier and you haven't come up with an answer yet.Why don't you just address the political question instead of getting bogged down in trivia?


"We want to win trust of the Nepal Army and other security agencies. We don't want to annoy 150,000-strong forces just to pamper 19,000-strong PLA," Dr Bhattarai said while speaking at an interaction in the capital Wednesday.

Bhattarai maintained that since the Maoists had already become part of the state, and even led the government after joining the peace process, they recognise the Nepal Army as their own army.
Anyways, this is not a sell out per se, since it is just some Party bigwig spouting off about what the Party should do, not what the Party has actually done. I think it's a little more than that. Bharrarai is probably the most power leaer in the UCPN(M), and he represents probably the major tendency within the party.

RED DAVE

[Homo Songun]

I think it's a little more than that. Bharrarai is probably the most power leaer in the UCPN(M), and he represents probably the major tendency within the party.

Well, I agree that Bhattarai has a track record for being power hungry. However, if Bhattarai is the most powerful leader in the party that would represent a both a extremely profound and extremely recent change in the party.

Profound, because until now the official ideology is officially based on the ideas of Pushpa Dahal. Moreover only a couple of years ago Bhattarai was stripped of his positions and almost kicked out of the party.

And it would have to be a recent change because apparently you have the scoop of the century, having not read it anywhere else.

[red cat]

Why don't you just address the political question instead of getting bogged down in trivia?


Because until you answer my questions and establish that your concepts of a revolution and workers' control have some practical basis, you can negate everything by labeling them as sellouts etc.

[Saorsa]

Bharrarai is probably the most power leaer in the UCPN(M), and he represents probably the major tendency within the party.

There is absolutely no evidence to support this conclusion. Bhattarai is probably the most frequently quoted leader in the media, but that's as far as we can go.

We will find out within the next week which leader commands the most support within the party - and even then, line struggle won't be over. Try to look at this dialectically.

[Saorsa]

PLA participation in plenum violated CPA: Parties REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Nov 21: Seven political parties in the ruling coalition have termed participation of the Maoist combatants in the party´s plenum a blatant violation of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and other agreements reached in the past.

The leaders said the Maoists complicated the situation further by turning a deaf ear to repeated pleas of the political parties, civil society and the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) not to make the fighters participate in the party´s plenum.


"Participation of the combatants, who are waiting for possible integration [in the security agencies,] is against the CPA and other agreements. Their participation at the plenum that is to chalk out the strategy and future course of the Maoist party has further complicated the process of integration and rehabilitation of the combatants," said a three-point statement issued after the meeting of the seven parties held the UML head office in in Balkhu.

Top leaders of Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML, Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D), Tarai-Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), CPN (ML), Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP) and Dalit Janjati Party (DJP) were present at the meeting. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, among other top leaders from the party, were also present at the meeting that was convened by KP Sharma Oli.

UML Spokesperson Pradip Gyawali said the fighters participating in the plenum will no longer be considered combatants waiting for possible integration. "They will be treated merely as Maoist cadres. They can opt for voluntary exit or rehabilitation program but not the integration plan," Gyawali told mediapersons after the meeting.
The parties also strongly condemned the Maoist assault on ministers and lawmakers in parliament while Finance Minister Surendra Pandey was heading to the rostrum to present the annual budget.

"This incident has further proved that the Maoists are not sincere toward peace, democracy and agreements reached in the past," said the statement.

The parties also decided to further intensify talks with a view to strengthen unity among the democratic parties. "We will hold dialogues with the Maoists as well. But, prior to that, we will talk to other parties in a bid to reach an understanding on mounting pressure on the Maoists," he said.

NC President Sushil Koirala, UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, MPRF-D Chairman Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, TMDP Chairman Mahantha Thakur, CPN (ML) General Secretary CP Mainali, RJP Chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa and DJP Chairman Bishwendra Paswan signed the statement.

Prime Minister Nepal had briefed the leaders from other parties why the government opted to introduce budget through ordinance and about the agreement reached with the Maoists.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=25451

[scarletghoul]

sellouts do not beat up the finance minister

[Monkey Riding Dragon]

TO ALL COMRADES:

I want to highlight the following as an example of the type of arguments that are being put forward on all sides of this "case":


Saorsa wrote:
Dave is well aware that the Maoists have a base in the working class. They are a genuine vanguard party, in the sense of a party that is made up of and is under the control of the most advanced revolutionary sections of the working class and peasantry. There has been enormous amounts of evidence provided to support this conclusion - he has seen all of it.

Whether a given political party is a party of the proletariat or not isn't one-sidedly a matter of whether or not its class composition dominantly consists of present or former proletarians/workers. As Saorsa should know, the Maoist understanding is that it is the political line that is decisive. The line is the most fundamental expression of the actual class character of a given party. Maoists and would-be Maoists here especially should strive to avoid narrowly reducing the class character of a party to simply and one-sidedly its class composition, as if class character were a form of identity politics.

The question of whether the UCPN(M) is still an authentic party of the proletariat is not yet decided in a way that we can know. We will be able to know much more concretely based on the outcome of this plenum because this plenum will decide the party's (official, actionable) line for the near future. We should not presume to know officially at this point. Instead, we should know what the basics of Maoism (i.e. authentic communism at this point in history) are and judge the line that is decided upon in accordance with that knowledge.

RED DAVE:

Very fortunately, Bhattarai, far from being in the lead of this dispute, as you claim, appears to be on the defensive. Prachanda has proposed a tactical unity with Kiran against Bhattarai, which would isolate his side.

[Saorsa]

Whether a given political party is a party of the proletariat or not isn't one-sidedly a matter of whether or not its class composition dominantly consists of present or former proletarians/workers. I agree with you - I think you have misunderstood my argument. My point was not that a vanguard party can be defined as such because it's membership happens to be proletarian, my point was that a party is a vanguard party when it is made up of the most radical, advanced, militant and politically conscious section of the masses - the vanguard. It is beyond doubt that the UCPN (M) is made up of such people.


As Saorsa should know, the Maoist understanding is that it is the political line that is decisive. The line is the most fundamental expression of the actual class character of a given party. Very true. But it is extremely difficult to establish from overseas in front of our computer screens which line is correct - in my opinion, only the comrades in Nepal are capable of working that out through debate within the party and on the streets. The correctness of a political line in 2010 is not measured by its similarity to past political lines from 1917 or 1949.


Maoists and would-be Maoists here especially should strive to avoid narrowly reducing the class character of a party to simply and one-sidedly its class composition, as if class character were a form of identity politics.I agree one hundred percent.

[Saorsa]

'Govt not liable for upkeep of Maoist combatants attending plenum' http://www.nepalnews.com/main/plugins/content/alphatoolbar/images/icon-small.gif (http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/10997-govt-not-liable-for-upkeep-of-maoist-combatants-attending-plenum.html#)http://www.nepalnews.com/main/plugins/content/alphatoolbar/images/icon-medium.gif (http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/10997-govt-not-liable-for-upkeep-of-maoist-combatants-attending-plenum.html#)http://www.nepalnews.com/main/plugins/content/alphatoolbar/images/icon-large.gif (http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/10997-govt-not-liable-for-upkeep-of-maoist-combatants-attending-plenum.html#)
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2009/pic/profile_bijay_kumar_gachhadar.jpgDeputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar
Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar Monday said that the government would now treat the Maoist combatants, who are taking part in the ongoing extended plenum, only as "Maoist cadres" and that it would not be obliged for their upkeep.

Speaking to reporters after a programme in Lalitpur, Gachchhadar said the Maoist leadership has turned the combatants into party cadres by involving them in the plenum despite the objection of the government.

According to him, the government has already informed the international community about the involvement of the combatants in the party's plenum.

Some 1,400 members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have been taking part in the plenum which kicked off at Palungtar of Gorkha district from Sunday.

Recently, the Maoist party had agreed to bring the combatants under the Special Committee headed by the Prime Minister.

Chief of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), Karin Landgren, in a letter to Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had urged the party not to involve the combatants in the plenum as this would be against the spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/10997-govt-not-liable-for-upkeep-of-maoist-combatants-attending-plenum.html

[Saorsa]

Maoist obstructs police post construction REPUBLICA

ILAM, Nov 22: The construction of police post in Danabari-3 of Ilam has been stalled following UCPN (Maoist) obstruction.

The Maoist Biplab Sirjan Smriti Brigade obstructed works saying the construction was against the agreement reached between the government and Maoist.


The Maoist combatants claimed the construction was against the spirit of Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA).

The Brigade had sent a letter to the contractor asking him not build any police post within the periphery of 5 kilometers from their cantonment.

However, Peace and Reconstruction Minister Rakam Chemjong said that there is no such provision in CPA. Chemjong had inspected the site last Friday.

Contractor Dilli Ram Khanal had bagged the tender for the construction worth Rs 6.1 million. He had hired five locals on a petty contract worth Rs 4.6 million to complete the construction.

According to a source, those who were awarded the petty contract were Maoist cadres. "The dispute on the construction is a result of misunderstanding over sharing commission," the source added.

Dhruba Shrestha, a local, said that the Maoist obstructed the construction even after a consensus among political parties for building the police post in Danabari.

"Though the cantonment was silent on the issue, there was an agreement on the construction a year ago. The cantonment asked not to construct the building only after the contract," Shrestha said.

Main contractor Khanal, however, refused to comment on the issue. The petty contractor Bhakta Lungeli defended that monetary issue was not involved in the dispute.

Chief of District Police Office Bikram Chand said that the issue can be settled only through a central level negotiation.

The Maoist had demolished the police post in Danabari during the armed conflict.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=25488

[Saorsa]

Govt spokesperson hopes Palungtar meeting will bring about 'positive transformation' in the Maoists Tuesday, 23 November 2010 16:44

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/images/stories/igallery/government/sep_06_09_shankar_pokhareal_a.jpgShankar Pokharel
(File photo)
Minister for Information and Communication Shankar Pokharel has said there is possibility that the intra-party struggle and discussion seen in the UCPN (Maoist) party could contribute towards the transformation of the main opposition party for the good.

He, however, said that if the Maoists again adopt the path of extremism and violence through their ongoing extended meeting that is being held at Palungtar of Gorkha then that will mark the end of the party.

Speaking at a program organised in Pokhara of kaski district Tuesday, Minister Pokharel, who is also the government spokesperson, expressed confidence that if the ongoing discussion and struggle seen inside the party takes a good turn and leads to a positive transformation of the party, then the prevalent political deadlock in the nation might also find an outlet. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/11019-govt-spokesperson-hopes-palungtar-meeting-will-bring-about-positive-transformation-in-the-maoists.html

[Saorsa]

UN delegation meets Maoist leaders in Palungtar


Added At: 2010-11-23 2:14 PM
Last Updated At: 2010-11-23 5:59 PM


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Chairperson of UCPN-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal meeting with a delegation of the United Nations led by the chief of Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, Claude Heller with the Chief of UNMIN Karin Landgren at Thati Pokheri in Gorkha on Monday, November 23, 2010.





RAVI DHAMI
PALUNGTAR: A delegation of the United Nations led by the chief of Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, Claude Heller, has arrived here in Palungtar to observe the ongoing Sixth Extended meeting of the UCPN-Maoist. The 18-member delegation includes the chief of United Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) Karin Landgren also.

The UN delegates held talks with top Maoist leaders including its Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Vice-Chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai at Thatipokhari near the plenum venue. They discussed the ongoing peace process in the country and the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist army personnel, who are currently residing in the UN-monitored cantonments.

During the meeting, Heller showed his dissatisfaction regarding the management of disqualified Maoist combatants. He suggested that the political parties should work together to resolve the political problems in the country.

Though the government and other political parties have been objecting the participation of the Maoist army personnel in the ongoing Maoist gala, the UN officials did not discuss the matter with the Maoist leadership.

The UN delegation also held discussions with the Maoist People's Liberation Army (PLA) Commander Nanda Kishor Pun 'Pasang', Deputy Commander Barsha Man Pun 'Ananta' , Janardan Sharma 'Prabhakar' and Chandra Prakash Khanal about the condition of camp and the integration mechanism, according to Maoist foreign bureau chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

The UN delegation is set to visit the PLA's First Division in Ilam, Pun told the media after the meeting.

A delegation of the United Nations arrives at the Airport of Palungtar. Photo: Navesh Chitrakar/THT Online.



Claude Heller, a delegation member talking with reporters after meeting with UCPN-Maoist leaders at Palungtar.Photo: Krishna Mani Baral/THT Online


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[Saorsa]

Limbuwan bandh affects normal life in eastern region Wednesday, 01 December 2010 10:05

A bandh called by Sanghiya Limbuwan Rajya Parishad has adversely affected normal life in nine districts of the eastern region Wednesday.

Transportation in both short and long routes has been obstructed, and educational institutions, factories and marketplaces have remained closed.

The Parishad called the bandh demanding a guarantee of autonomous Limbuwan state, among other demands. It has been calling a bandh every 15th day of the Nepali month with the same demands.

Chitwan closed over death of labourer
Meanwhile, transportation in Chitwan district has also been obstructed over the death of one Som Bahadur Darai in police custody a few days ago.

Travelers traveling on the east-west highway and other roads have been stranded due to the obstruction.

A labour union close to Unified CPN (Maoist) obstructed the traffic demanding compensation to the family of the deceased. They have claimed Darai died due to torture in the police custody.

Police have said, Darai died while undergoing treatment after a suicide attempt. nepalnews.com


http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/11191-limbuwan-bandh-affects-normal-life-in-eastern-region.html

[Saorsa]

Another hiccup at Taskforce meet as Maoists press for compulsory military training for citizens above 18 Wednesday, 01 December 2010 14:28

The meeting of the high level taskforce formed to settle the thorny issues pending at different thematic committees ended inconclusively on Wednesday as top leaders of various parties chose to play truant.

http://www.nepalnews.com/today/frontpic/2007/apr/apr_25_07_ramesh_lekhak_a.jpgRamesh Lekhak (File photo)
Unified CPN (Maoist) chairman Puspha Kamal Dahal, UML-CPN chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, Nepali Congress (NC) parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Poudel and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) Upendra Yadav didn't show up in today's meeting although they were required to do so to iron out major differences among them for the passage of the new constitution, a taskforce member, Ramesh Lekhak informed media-persons after the meeting.

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/pic/profile_dev_gurung.jpgDev Gurung (File photo)
According to Maoist standing committee member, Dev Bahadur Gurung, though the taskforce members held discussions on whether or not to impart military training to all citizens above 18 years, they failed to forge an agreement on the issue.

It is learnt that the Maoist leaders insisted on imparting compulsory military training to citizens during the discussion on the issue. However, the leaders of other parties at the meeting were against imparting military training to citizens and instead called for skill-oriented trainings for them.

"The meeting also discussed the issue related to ceiling on land ownership. However, it did not take any concrete decisions," Gurung added.

The next meeting of the high-level taskforce is slated for Thursday. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/11199-another-hiccup-at-taskforce-meet-as-maoists-press-for-compulsory-military-training-for-citizens-above-18.html

[Saorsa]

Maoist CC meet to set protest programmes Wednesday, 01 December 2010 20:07

The central committee meeting of the UCPN (Maoist) starting Thursday is set to decide on the agitation programmes, party's vice chairman Mohan Baidya said Wednesday.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/images/stories/igallery/poor_man_s/dec_01_10_kiran_a.jpg (http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/photo-gallery/gallery/1733.html)UCPN (Maoist) vice chairman Mohan Baidya observing a statue of a...
Baidya claimed that his party was going to launch agitation to ensure the peace and time constitution.

Speaking to media persons while observing the sculpture exhibition that opened in the capital today, he mentioned that the Maoist party would stage 'people's revolt' if constitution-drafting process is obstructed.

Baidya who presented a separate political paper at the party's recently concluded extended plenum also claimed that the party had become united after the plenum. nepalnews.com

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/11211-maoist-cc-meet-to-set-protest-programmes.html

[Saorsa]

Maoist no to PLA supervision by ex-army men KIRAN CHAPAGAIN

KATHMANDU, Dec 2: The UCPN (Maoist) rejected the proposal floated by newly appointed coordinator of the PLA management secretariat Bala Nanda Sharma regarding formation of a mechanism of ex-army men to supervise the Maoists combatants in the very first meeting of the secretariat on Wednesday.

A day after assuming the post as the head of the 12-member secretariat, the former Lt Gen of the Nepal Army had proposed to station 154 ex-army personnel in all 28 Maoist cantonments to supervise ex-Maoist fighters after UNMIN leaves the country in mid-January.


The UN political mission has been monitoring the combatants since 2007 and Sharma proposed to form the mechanism to replace the UNMIN´s arms monitors.

According to the plan, seven ex-army personnel will be stationed in each of the major seven cantonments while five former soldiers will be sent to monitor ex-Maoist fighters in each of the 21 satellite camps located in different parts of the country. Such a mechanism is supposed to monitor over 19,000 combatants round-the-clock much in the fashion UNMIN´s 72 arms monitors have been doing for over three years.

“We had been discussing this plan for long and the coordinator proposed it for discussion on behalf of other members [excluding Maoist members on the secretariat] on Wednesday,” said secretariat member Dipak Bhatta, an expert on security issues.

But the proposal was turned down by the Maoist representatives in the secretariat that is meant for overseeing the proposed integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.

“It is not the business of the secretariat to hold discussions on the kind of mechanism that will be needed [to monitor the combatants] after the exit of UNMIN,” Chandra Prakash Khanal, PLA spokesperson and a Maoist representative in the secretariat, told Republica, “If such a mechanism is needed, it should be agreed first at the political level and in the Special Committee.”

He further added that there would be no more discussions on the plan in the secretariat.

It may be recalled that ex-British Gurkhas had monitored the combatants and their arms before the arrival of UNMIN´s arms monitors in 2007.

The first meeting also discussed the possible date of formally bringing the combatants under the command and control of the Special Committee, a government formed body to carry out the much-awaited integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.

But Maoist representatives said the Special Committee and political leadership should fix the date for a formal program to hand over the cantonments to the Special Committee.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=25767

[RED DAVE]

Lust for power adding to instability: Bhattarai


KATHMANDU: Vice-chairman of UCPN-Maoist Dr Baburam Bhattarai said on Saturday the main responsibility of parties at present is to draft a people's constitution and maintain political stability.

Constitution drafting, economic development and poverty alleviation are the major tasks, he said inaugurating a new building of the Consumer Committee at Kathmandu Metropolitan City-15.

Narrow-minded and egoist thinking as well as power hunger has led to political instability, he said. "If this continues, the new constitution could not be drafted within Jestha 14. Therefore, massive public pressure is needed to bring leadership on the right track," the former Finance Minister said.

"At a time when we haven't reinstated the old feudal house, the pushing and shoving among political parties to sleep in the big room has invited the risk of plunging the country into abyss," said Dr. Bhattarai.

He also said the Constituent Assembly established after the sacrifice of the lives of thousands of people has been like "a coconut in monkey's hands'.

On the occasion, Maoist Politburo member Hisila Yami felicitated those who contributed for the construction of the buildinghttp://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Lust+for+power+adding+to+ins tability%3A+Bhattarai&NewsID=269876&a=3

Maoism in action!

Note the clear class analysis of the situation. Contemplate the programmatic alternatives put forth. Observe the call to the masses for action . See the ... .

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[red cat]

... awesomeness of a revolution consisting of more than five individuals (http://www.onesolutionrevolution.com/node/234).

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... awesomeness of a revolution consisting of more than five individuals (http://www.onesolutionrevolution.com/node/234).Someone once said, "A mistake committed by a million people is still a mistake!" So why don't you get off it? Or would you rather take the next step and call me a middle-class Western white man?

Or maybe you could show that you're involved in politics and not cheerleading and analyze what Bhattarai said and demonstrate to us how it conforms to a Marxist program.

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Doors open in Delhi for Bhattarai

by SANKARSHAN THAKUR


New Delhi, Jan. 6: Top Nepali Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai has allayed Indian apprehensions that they will turn their backs on multiparty democracy or drag their nation under the Chinese umbrella and sought “constructive support” from New Delhi on the formation of a Maoist-led national unity government in Kathmandu to complete the derailed peace process.

“We have a May deadline to meet for constitution formation which is the only way to consolidate democracy in Nepal and India should do all it can to promote democracy,” Bhattarai told The Telegraph in an exclusive interview today.

“There is a mass perception that India is playing a negative interventionist role in Nepal and that should be corrected, a democratic and peaceful Nepal is in the best interests of India.”

Bhattarai is currently in Delhi to attend a seminar on ways through the debilitating political deadlock in Nepal; on the sidelines of the seminar he has also been holding a string of meetings with key Indian leaders and officials.

Among those he met upon arrival yesterday were finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, national security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon and foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and leader of Opposition, Sushma Swaraj. Bhattarai is also scheduled to meet external affairs minister, S.M. Krishna and home minister P. Chidambaram tomorrow.

This is the first time since Prachanda’s resignation in May 2009 that a Nepali Maoist leader has been accorded such high-level and fast tracked access in New Delhi, itself a sign, perhaps, that India might be looking to re-calibrate its hardened stance against the Maoists who are the single largest party in the Constituent Assembly and, therefore, critical to any political breakthrough.

Bhattarai’s discussions in New Delhi also come at a time when India is in the process of replacing its controversial Nepal envoy, Rakesh Sood, with Jayant Prasad. Sood had become a red rag to the Nepali street because of his open interference in domestic affairs and there are expectations in Kathmandu that Prasad’s arrival will neutralise knee-jerk anti-India posturing in the Nepali polity.

The rupture in ties with Maoists was triggered by Prachanda’s insistence on removing the then Nepali Army chief Rukmangad Katuwal in favour of his own nominee. India is believed to have vetoed the decision and its covert intervention resulted in Prachanda’s resignation from premiership barely a year after he had assumed office upon a rousing electoral victory.

Since then the Maoists, Prachanda in particular, have repeatedly flayed New Delhi for “disrupting” the democratic process in Nepal by treating it like a “vassal state”. New Delhi, on its part, has grown increasingly suspicious of Maoist intentions and has leveraged its influence to effectively out manoeuvre Maoist attempts to return to power at the head of a unity government.

Sixteen unsuccessful attempts at forming a government to replace Madhav Nepal’s lameduck caretaker regime were made last year. Several times in the later rounds, Prachanda seemed close to regaining power but fell short. Allegations had it that India had manipulated Madhesi (non-Nepali speakers from the Terai) MPs to scuttle the Maoist bid.

Bhattarai lamented the outflanking of Maoists today saying: “Everywhere in democracy, including in India, the single largest party forms the coalition, why not in Nepal? Without us the democratic and constitution-making process cannot go ahead, that should be clear to all.”

He, however, sounded a conciliatory rather than confrontationist note on India. “There are lobbies here that do not want democracy but we cannot say that for all of India. Likewise, we have irresponsible elements in Nepal too who create misunderstandings,” he said. “We are hopeful there will be correction on both sides.”

Bhattarai kept details of his talks with Indian leaders to himself save to say that there was “deep concern in influential quarters” at the disruption of the democratic process. “Pranabbabu was very patient and sounded worried about the situation in Nepal,” Bhattarai said. “He was particularly concerned that so many rounds of elections had not produced a clear Prime Minister. I got the sense his attitude was very positive.”

Sources said that in his meeting with foreign secretary Rao, the latter had raised the issue of increased Chinese influence in Nepal. Bhattarai is believed to have assured her that the Maoists did not intend to alter the fundamentals of Nepal’s ties with India and Indians in favour of a bias towards the Chinese. Herself a former ambassador to China, Rao was told by Bhattarai that his impression was that the Chinese themselves advocated “amicable and peaceful” ties between Nepal and India.(emph added)

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110107/jsp/nation/story_13403885.jsp

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unmin's farewell with ugly wrath

10th jan :
Kathmandu, nepal –

united nation mission in nepal (unmin) did not remain out of controversy and criticism even just days before its scheduled departure. Unmin is being farewell from nepal on 15 januarys with ugly wrath from different quarters.

Not only the government and its allies but also the maoist party, which still advocating to extend term extension of unmin, did not seemed satisfactory over karin landgren's last briefing to the un security council, in new york, on last wednesday. Her statement sparked controversy not only in the political level but also irked most power centers including nepal army and the president as well.


Presenting a nepal report, landgren had a claim that the risks were growing in nepal of president's rule, an army-coup or maoist's revolt. Considering the past experiences, exception from the government or its alliances would not be considered amazing as they are not satisfied with unmin. But now, the maoist party also expressed its strong exception over landgren's statement stating that there is no any reality behind maoist's revolt as mentioned in the report.

Interestingly, tuning the maoist's word of "people's revolt" she had also mentioned same word in her report stating that fears among many nepalese people over the prospect of a 'people's revolt' which remains an explicit maoist threat.

Rightly after her controversial statements in the new york, strong objection from different quarters ware poured in. In an unusually tough measure, nepal's ambassador and permanent representative to the un, gyan chandra acharya, had submitted a statement before the security council stating that her report is based on 'malicious rumors and pure conjecture',


'the indication of a possible failure of the peace process, president's rule and army coup were not only unthinkable but wild comments representing not an iota of possibility,' he had mentioned in the statement. Rubbishing her controversial statement, he had also sent a strong note to the member countries of the security council.

President dr. Ram baran yadav, prime minister madhav kumar nepal, government allies and the nepal army also univocally expressed strong exception against the landgren's controversial statement. Heavily criticizing the landgren's statements prime minister madhav kumar nepal had stated that no evil will befall the nation without unmin.

Likewise, president dr. Yadav debunked the theory about imposition of presidential rule. Nepal army too rejected possibility of a military-backed coup and termed landgren's hypothesis as "baseless and unthinkable."

despite the recent decision and repeated statements about a peoples' revolt, maoist chairman dahal also said that possible revolt by his party is as a market gossip. There is no likelihood of such statement, he had said after having meeting with president yadav.

Nepali congress president sushil koirala also said that unmin chief landgren's briefing was aimed at tarnishing the country's image in the international arena. The falsified report of a respectable un mission has shocked all the nepalese, koirala had said.(EMPH ADDED)

http://www.reviewnepal.com/detail_news.php?id=1577

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Govt, Maoists agree to form six-member mechanism to replace UNMIN


The caretaker government and UCPN (Maoist) on Friday agreed to form a six-member mechanism comprising three members each from the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) and its Secretariat to carry out all the activities of UNMIN after its departure.


A meeting between Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and top Maoist leaders held at the Hotel Radisson in the afternoon decided to set up the mechanism.


PM Nepal and Maoist chairman Puspha Kamal Dahal singed a three-point agreement in a bid to assure the outgoing UNMIN that the remaining tasks of the ongoing peace process would be effectively handled in its absence.


As per the deal, this mechanism with the help of the AISC would do future monitoring of arms, Maoist's combatants and Nepal Army.


Meanwhile, the meeting also decided to officially thank the United Mission in Nepal for its works on Nepal's peace process and request the mission to transfer all equipments to the government, Home Minister Bhim Rawal informed after the meeting.


The leaders also made their commitment that they would be abided by the past agreements between various parties and the Comprehensive Peace Accord.http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2011/jan/jan14/news12.php

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Maoist combatants optimistic about future

SHAKTIKHOR: Maoist section Sub-Commander Sushil Singh at PLA Fourth Division based at Jhyaltungdanda in Nawalparasi, who arrived today in Shaktikhor, Chitwan to participate in the handover ceremony of the PLA command to the Special Committee, was very elated. 



Singh said, “The transfer of the command of Maoist combatants to the Special Committee had added new dimension to the peace process and statute drafting.” Singh, who has been living at the temporary cantonment for the past five years, expressed hope that the handover would expedite the army integration process. 



The official handover of Maoist combatants from the Maoist party to the Prime Minister-led Special Committee has cheered PLA personnel. 



Dhaniram Simkhada, Company sub-commander of Pratap Memorial Brigade at PLA Third Division, dubbed January 22 as historic and momentous day. Simkhada, a local of Kalikot, who joined the Maoist rebellion, hoped the peace and statute drafting processes would be completed as early as possible. “PLA is ready to make any sort of sacrifice for peace and constitution, but the government must not conspire against army integration”, Simkhada warned. 



Kaman Singh Moktan, commander, Ratna Sakuntal Memorial Brigade at PLA First Division in Chulachuli expressed happiness at coming under the state. A combatant identifying himself as Tarzan working at Basu Memorial Brigade called today’s PLA handover to the Special Committee a positive development. “I am ready to serve the nation after integration in the security forces,” he said. 



Similar was the view of brigade commander Yubaraj Terung of Bethan Memorial Brigade. “I want to serve the nation in the national army,” Terung said. 



Commoners present at the PLA transfer function too looked elated. Siva Dahal, a local of Bhandara, Chitwan, said the PLA handover has injected new hope in the people and country. “If the parties and their leaders work in tandem, sustainable peace and development is possible”, Dahal said. “The government has to expedite army integration process without delay[.]



The pomp and show at Shaktikhor impressed the locals. The scene of helicopters hovering in the sky since early morning was worth watching. Senior Vice Chairman of UCPN-M Mohan Baidhya said the PLA handover would expedite the peace process in a new way. Baidhya said, “The handover of Maoist combatants to the Special Committee is not the end of the PLA, its existence will continue until Army integration takes place.”
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Maoist+combatants+optimistic +about+future&NewsID=274070

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[red cat]

Pro-Maoist workers shut industries in Kaski

MANOJ ADHIKARI

POKHARA, Feb 15: Workers affiliated to UCPN (Maoist) on Tuesday launched an indefinite strike, forcing industries of Kaski district to shut down their operations.

The agitating All Nepal Industrial Worker Association (ANIWA) said it launched the strike because the promoters of the industries continued to ignore their calls to double wage and salary.


“It is difficult to survive with the salary we are receiving currently,” said Bhoj Raj Khatri, chairman of ANIWA. “We will not withdraw our strike unless the management fulfills our demand to double salary.”

According to the agitating workers, 75 percent of the total workers in Kaski are receiving a total salary of Rs 4,600 - the minimum wage fixed by the government.
If the promoters of the industries are to fulfill the workers´ demand, they will have to pay workers Rs 9,200 a month.

The ANIWA office-bearers said they had placed their demand to the management and were pushing for it since mid-June 2010. “We had notified them when we launched the strike, but they paid no heed,” Khatri said.

Stating that Pokhara is one of the most expensive cities in the country where prices of all essential commodities are expensive than Kathmandu -- the capital city, Khatri wondered how workers could manage accommodation, food, children´s education, among others, with just Rs 4,600 a month.

The strike, meanwhile, has forced 53 industries operating inside the Pokhara Industrial Estate and another 45 industries based outside of it to shut down their operations. These industries employ 4,500 workers, including 2,500 working in industries within the Pokhara Industrial Estate.

Promoters of the closed industries said they cannot fulfill the workers´ demand. President of Pokhara Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Krishna Mohan Shrestha said the demand was unjustifiable and they were not in a position to fulfill it, especially given the latest rise in operating cost due to 14-hour power cut and rise in bank rates.

During a meeting with trade union representatives, the management representatives clearly spelled out such a stance. Nonetheless, they said they could increase the salary of permanent workers by Rs 1,000 per month.

Shrestha said the demand of workers to hike salary appears genuine due to rise in basic commodities prices. “But employers too are not in comfortable situation. Hence, we believe the problem should be addressed at the government level, instead of industry level,” he added.

“Rising price of commodities has hit public everywhere across the country. The government should take necessary initiatives.”

An industrialist at Pokhara Industrial Estate said the government should revise the minimum wage if it thinks it is inadequate.

“The workers made a mistake by raising the national problem at the local level. No industry can address this demand,” he added.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=28293

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The United States has granted Nepal $850,000 for the Nepali police to improve their communication system around the country.

The announcement by Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Maria Otero came as Nepal police face difficult days while coping with technological and communication shortfalls.
"The US government has a robust partnership with the Nepal police, because we understand that improving law and order in Nepal and protecting Nepalis' security are essential tasks for a country coming out of the insecurity of a long conflict," Otero said. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/briefs/articles/90034363?US%20offers%20help%20Nepal%20to%20cope%20 with%20disaster%20and%20aid%20for%20security%20cap ability#ixzz1E4rfH9Mr



KATHMANDU: Following the UCPN-Maoist decision to join the government, Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal is preparing to expand his Cabinet. 

UML leader Rabindra Adhikari said the Cabinet would be expanded by Thursday. 

According to Adhikari, 

the prime minister is likely to keep home ministry with himself ‘for some time’. 

Maoist leader Dev Gurung also said the Cabinet was likely to be expanded by Thursday. However, Gurung refused to give the names of those who will be recommended for the ministerial positions from his party. UML leader Prakash Jwala said though talk teams from his party and the Maoists held different rounds of meetings today, they could not reach an agreement on the number of ministries. 

According to a close aide to Khanal, discussions between UML and the Maoists have reached near understanding in allocating 11 ministries to the Maoists, eight to CPN-UML and seven to Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum, Tarai Madhes Democratic Party-Nepal, Nepal Communist Party Marxist-Leninist and other parties willing to join the government. 

According to a Maoist source, names of Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Dev Gurung, Agni Sapkota, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Dinanath Sharma have been recommended.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Cabinet+expansion+likely+tom orrow&NewsID=276619

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Dahal, Baidhya advocate revolt

KATHMANDU: At a time when one of its vice-chairmen is advocating middle path to ensure peace and constitution, Chairman of Unified CPN-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal and his other deputy today made a fresh call for a struggle to achieve the party’s mission – national independence and people’s 

republic.



Patching up with hardliner Vice-Chairman Mohan Baidhya, Dahal has decided to brace up for people’s revolt, claiming that logical conclusion of the peace process and drafting of people’s constitution was not possible.



On the other hand, Vice-Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai has proposed to tread the middle path between the two extremes — parliamentary system of Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and other parties and people’s democratic system of UCPN-Maoist.



“Time has come to begin struggle from a new height to achieve the goal of our mission,” Dahal said while addressing a function organised to launch Ichhuk Cultural Academy — named after party’s cultural icon — Krishna Sen ‘Ichhuk ’— who was killed during insurgency.



He recalled the preparations made before the beginning of the people’s war and urged similar readiness for the people’s revolt to liberate the nation from the clutches of imperialist and expansionist forces. “The war has not concluded, only the course has changed. We have now come to the towns and parliament from remote hills,” he said.



Baidhya said the party would focus on movement for national independence and People’s Republic, as directed by the central committee meeting. “The cultural campaign initiated by the ICA would be vital for which the party was ready to support,” he said.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Dahal%2C+Baidhya++advocate+r evolt&NewsID=272343

Note, one more time, the absence of any mention of the working class.

[red cat]

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Dahal%2C+Baidhya++advocate+r evolt&NewsID=272343

Note, one more time, the absence of any mention of the working class.

Clearly this proves that the UCPN(M) is really a capitalist party staging a drama through the last fifteen years. :rolleyes:

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Clearly this proves that the UCPN(M) is really a capitalist party staging a drama through the last fifteen years. :rolleyes:Clearly this suggests that the UCPN(M) is a supporter of state capitalism.

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[red cat]

Clearly this suggests that the UCPN(M) is a supporter of state capitalism.

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I don't know how it suggests that, but if it does, then I am okay with it.


For socialism is merely the next step forward from state-capitalist monopoly. Or, in other words, socialism is merely state-capitalist monopoly which is made to serve the interests of the whole people and has to that extent ceased to be capitalist monopoly.

- Lenin

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I don't think anybody on this forum should be in favor of maintaining capitalism even if it's "to serve the interests of the whole population". Last time I checked the interests of the working class was not to work under the capitalist mode of production with people from the State/Party taking the place of the capitalist.

[red cat]

I don't think anybody on this forum should be in favor of maintaining capitalism even if it's "to serve the interests of the whole population". Last time I checked the interests of the working class was not to work under the capitalist mode of production with people from the State/Party taking the place of the capitalist.

Instead of introducing state capitalism, if communists jump to workers control in all fields in just one step, then it will be a disaster if workers lack the technical and administrative knowledge required. The Leninist concept of state capitalism comes in due to very practical needs. During the initial stages of the revolution, any big economic, political or military mistake can lead to an immediate successful imperialist invasion and subsequent takeover.

[RED DAVE]

Instead of introducing state capitalism, if communists jump to workers control in all fields in just one step, then it will be a disaster if workers lack the technical and administrative knowledge required.What you're saying is that the Nepalese working class and peasantry, who actually run Nepalese society, don't have the ability to run it. But the cpaitalist class, a class much smaller, now these geniuses can really run things! So well in fact, that we need to get into a coalition government with them.

This is the standard right-wing criticism of socialism.


The Leninist concept of state capitalism comes in due to very practical needs. During the initial stages of the revolution, any big economic, political or military mistake can lead to an immediate successful imperialist invasion and subsequent takeover.But Comrade, Lenin never said that revolutionaries should create state/monopoly capitalism. That's not what socialists do. We don't fight for capitalism for the capitalists; we fight for socialism for the workers.

Lenin indeed said, "[S]ocialism is merely state-capitalist monopoly which is made to serve the interests of the whole people and has to that extent ceased to be capitalist monopoly."

And that means that the workers run the economy. This is the horror and misery of Maoism: That it takes the slogans of Marxism and perverts them into a tool of state capitalism. This is what they did in China. They used Marxist slogans to create a state capitalist regime which, in time, morphed into private capitalism. This is undeniable.

And this is what they're doing in Nepal. Why else would the Nepalese Maoists negotiate with capitalist parties to become partners in a capitalist government?

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[red cat]

What you're saying is that the Nepalese working class and peasantry, who actually run Nepalese society, don't have the ability to run it. But the cpaitalist class, a class much smaller, now these geniuses can really run things! So well in fact, that we need to get into a coalition government with them.

This is the standard right-wing criticism of socialism.

No, it is the standard Leninist criticism of the infantile idea of introducing workers control in one step throughout the country.


But Comrade, Lenin never said that revolutionaries should create state/monopoly capitalism. That's not what socialists do. We don't fight for capitalism for the capitalists; we fight for socialism for the workers.

Lenin indeed said, "[S]ocialism is merely state-capitalist monopoly which is made to serve the interests of the whole people and has to that extent ceased to be capitalist monopoly."

And that means that the workers run the economy. This is the horror and misery of Maoism: That it takes the slogans of Marxism and perverts them into a tool of state capitalism. This is what they did in China. They used Marxist slogans to create a state capitalist regime which, in time, morphed into private capitalism. This is undeniable.

What is undeniable is that Lenin would have said "run by workers" instead of "made to serve the interests of the whole people " if he really meant so.


And this is what they're doing in Nepal. Why else would the Nepalese Maoists negotiate with capitalist parties to become partners in a capitalist government?

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Because they want to gain enough strength to counter an imperialist invasion.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

No, it is the standard Leninist criticism of the infantile idea of introducing workers control in one step throughout the country.So what is the plan? Let capitalists teach the workers how to run their businesses and gradually, when they are smart enough to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, let the workers have control of their workplace gradually?

Which industries are going to get worker control first, who decides this, and since when has forming a coalition with the bourgeoisie ever resulted in the overthrow of capitalism?



What is undeniable is that Lenin would have said "run by workers" instead of "made to serve the interests of the whole people " if he really meant so.
Then I disagree with Lenin. Maybe our dialogue shouldn't be confined to such dogmatism as you quoting somebody and that being a good enough rebuttal. I believe that's actually a fallacy called Ad Verecundiam, or Appeal to Authority.



Because they want to gain enough strength to counter an imperialist invasion....by selling out the struggle against capitalism? If they're not risking imperialist invasion something is obviously wrong with the situation. Why not just go the route of the Social Democracy if they're afraid of getting invaded, hell that's about as radical as a revolution could be if they're allying with the bourgeoisie.

[red cat]

So what is the plan? Let capitalists teach the workers how to run their businesses and gradually, when they are smart enough to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, let the workers have control of their workplace gradually?

Which industries are going to get worker control first, who decides this, and since when has forming a coalition with the bourgeoisie ever resulted in the overthrow of capitalism?

The workers themselves decide which industries they are going to take control. Generally the most basic industries that require less technical expertize experience workers control first. For example, workers associated with forest-products declare public control of forests, construction of public property are performed by regular workers and helpers appointed through direct mass voting etc. In every industry, the working class organizes itself to learn from the managers, and then replace the existing system with workers control.



Then I disagree with Lenin. Maybe our dialogue shouldn't be confined to such dogmatism as you quoting somebody and that being a good enough rebuttal. I believe that's actually a fallacy called Ad Verecundiam, or Appeal to Authority. Lenin's conclusion arises from the practical situation during the revolution. It is not that Leninists stop willing portions of the working class from taking control. It is just that the workers themselves prefer not to take direct control in the beginning, not of all industrial fields at least.


...by selling out the struggle against capitalism? If they're not risking imperialist invasion something is obviously wrong with the situation. Why not just go the route of the Social Democracy if they're afraid of getting invaded, hell that's about as radical as a revolution could be if they're allying with the bourgeoisie.Another possible way out is to increase their influence on the masses, and to prepare themselves more thoroughly for a military conflict with imperialism. You will notice that in the last five years, the urban support base of Maoists has increased considerably. If the alliance with the compradors had been anything more than a tactical one, then the strikes etc. that they organized would never have take place. Besides this, at present there is a sharp two-line struggle inside the CP on continuing the parliamentary alliance.

[Wanted Man]

Clearly this suggests that the UCPN(M) is a supporter of state capitalism.

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Hey, where is your mention of the working-class in this post?

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GORKHA: UCPN-Maoist Vice Chairman Naryankaji Shrestha 'Prakash' said on Saturday that there is no alternative to building national consensus to keep intact the gains achieved through the people’s uprising of 2006.

“National consensus has become imperative to institutionalise the achievements declared at the first meeting of Constituent Assembly,” said Shrestha, while addressing a programme in Gorkha this afternoon.

Saying that the lack of political consensus has resulted in the present stalemate, Shrestha said, “Building consensus is now crucial to avert the impeding disaster. There is a growing risk of foreign and counter-revolutionary interventions.”

In his address, the Maoist leader pointed toward the need to act as per the aspirations of the people’s movement, uphold the principle of self-determination and manage state affairs on a consensual basis.

“We have to solve our own problems, rather than expecting foreign powers to come in and help us out,” Shrestha said. “It is the time for major political parties of Nepal to forge a broader consensus.”(emph added) (http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Time+for+forge+broader+conse nsus%3A+Narayankaji&NewsID=277854&a=3)

http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Time+for+forge+broader+conse nsus%3A+Narayankaji&NewsID=277854&a=3

Once more, the working class is designated the leading class of the revolution by a Maoist leader.

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[red cat]

Nepal: Love Marriages and Revolution (http://www.anonym.to/?http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/nepal-love-marriages-and-revolution/)


Posted by hetty7 on February 7, 2011


http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/love-marriage-nepal.jpg?w=280&h=209 (http://www.anonym.to/?http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/love-marriage-nepal.jpg)

This article is from myrepublica. (http://www.anonym.to/?http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=27754)
This article follows an earlier article on the horrendous sale of women for sex trafficking in South Asia.

In contrast to this are the increasing love marriages in Nepal among the Maoists. The love marriages – in contrast to the arranged marriages of feudal Nepal – are one example of the revolutionary changes in the New Nepal.

This article shows a glimpse how these love marriages are struggled for in the Maoist cantonments.

Maoist Combatants Finding Life-Partners Inside Cantonments

Amar Khadka

Itahari, Jan. 30: An increasing number of Maoist combatants are finding a life-partner inside the cantonments, though some are finding it hard to convince their parents to accept their spouses.


Ramesh Limbu, company deputy-commander of First Division Headquarters at Chulachuli, Ilam, is one of the unfortunate husbands struggling to make their parents accept their daughter-in-law.


Limbu, 26, who is from Tungupa, Panchthar, married Sushila Khawas. But his parents have refused to accept Khawas as daughter-in-law. “We fell in love during the insurgency,” Limbu said.“The meaning of marriage is to understand one another. But not everything happens the way you want,” said Limbu, alluding to his parents reaction to their marriage.


Limbu, who fought in almost all battles in eastern Nepal during the insurgency, proposed to Khawas a year ago while she was posted at the administrative section of the cantonment.


Khawas accepted the proposal two weeks later. But Kwasas was transferred to central security just days after she accepted Limbu’s proposal. The two conversed by telephone every day after her transfer to central security.


The instances of combatants finding life- partners inside the cantonments and satellite camps is increasing. Samir Lama of Makwanpur married Manisha Khanal of Panchthar. The two met six years ago near the border between Tehrathum and Sankhusabha in the course of battle. The two fell in love and eventually got married by fulfilling all formalities inside the cantonment.


Smiriti Acharya, 23 o Dhakuta, is married to Sagar Khasas of the First Division. “Getting married to a stranger entails spending a lot of time getting to know each other. But marrying a colleague makes things a lot easier,” Acharya said.


According to deputy-brigadier Pasang Sherpa, the Maoist party allows and even arranges marriages for the couples who are in love with one another.


“Getting girls married to a stranger is risky as they might face violence from the husband. Similarly, problems might arise if the man ends up not liking the girl. But so far we haven’t come across such problems among couples who got married here,” he said.


There are many former combatants who are married to a fellow combatant in Danabani satellite camp in Chulachuli, apart from the Yanshila and Tandi camps in Morang. In the First Division alone, 500 former combatants have chosen a fellow combatant as a life partner.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/20...on/#more-10684 (http://www.anonym.to/?http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/nepal-love-marriages-and-revolution/#more-10684)

[red cat]

Nepal: Prachanda Calls for Final Preparations for People’s Revolt (http://www.anonym.to/?http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/nepal-factories-to-turn-into-barracks-says-maoist-leader-prachanda/)



Posted by celticfire on March 1, 2011


This news comes from MSN India (http://www.anonym.to/?http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4972748), and comes after other reports of revolutionary preparations (http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/nepal-factories-to-turn-into-barracks-says-maoist-leader-prachanda/) in Nepal. If the development of the new constitution is stalled or blocked by reactionary forces, it may lead to confrontation with the Maoist revolutionaries. The Revolution in South Asia team will monitor events and will post news as it arrives.
He said all factories, industries and hotels across the country will be turned into barracks to ensure the success of the people”s revolt the party is planning to launch.
Those who believe that the Maoists will not wage any people”s revolt and think that it is just a bluff will soon get a rude shock, he warned.
Prachanda calls for ”final preparations” for people’s revolt

Shirish B. Pradhan


Kathmandu, Feb 27 (PTI) Maoists supremo Prachanda today called on his cadres to make “final preparations” for a people”s revolt, amid a power struggle to take control of key ministry of Nepal”s new communist government.


Prachanda, the chairman of Unified CPN (Maoist), called upon all factory workers affiliated to the Maoist party to make “final preparations” for launching the people”s revolt.


He said all factories, industries and hotels across the country will be turned into barracks to ensure the success of the people”s revolt the party is planning to launch.
Those who believe that the Maoists will not wage any people”s revolt and think that it is just a bluff will soon get a rude shock, he warned.


Addressing a national conference of a workers” organisation affiliated to Maoists’ All Nepal Trade Union Federation (Revolutionary) on the outskirts of the capital, he said the Maoists will not tolerate any attempt to sabotage the peace process and drafting of the new constitution as also to bring about a radical transformation in the country.
Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal, who was elected by lawmakers after more than seven months of stalemate and 17 attempts on February 3, has been unable to complete his cabinet formation, amid disagreement over a power-sharing deal with the Maoists, with whose support he won the election.


The two main allies – CPN-UML and the Maoists – have failed to arrive at an understanding over the distribution of key portfolios. UCPN-Maoist, the largest party in the House is demanding important portfolios, including the home ministry.
Pradip Gyawali, a top leader of the ruling CPN-UML, today made it clear that no ministries related to security can be allocated to the Maoists at present as the latter was still in possession of weapons and had control over its former combatants.
Interacting with journalists in Gulmi district of western Nepal, Gyawali said the Maoists’ threat to revolt if they did not get the Home Ministry is meaningless. He said people’s revolt as claimed by the former rebels is not possible in the present context.
Gyawali said there were some procedural mistakes while signing the seven-point agreement between Khanal and Prachanda on the eve of prime ministerial elections.
The mistakes, he said, can yet be corrected and the parties can move forward.
The Maoists have been pressing for the implementation of the seven point deal, which reportedly includes provisions like sharing the Prime Ministerial post between Khanal and Prachanda on rotational basis and forming separate unit in Nepal Army after the integration of the former Maoist combatants with the military.


The Maoists have threatened to withdraw support to the Khanal-led government in case their demand is not fulfilled, which is causing delay in expansion of the cabinet.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/20...lt/#more-10845 (http://www.anonym.to/?http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/nepal-prachanda-calls-for-final-preparations-for-peoples-revolt/#more-10845)

[red cat]

Nepal Maoists: Turn Factories into Barracks for Revolt (http://www.anonym.to/?http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/nepal-factories-to-turn-into-barracks-says-maoist-leader-prachanda/)


Posted by celticfire on February 28, 2011


http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/demonstrators_nepal.jpg?w=350 (http://www.anonym.to/?http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/demonstrators_nepal.jpg)

The following comes from the Himalayan Times (http://www.anonym.to/?http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Factories+to+turn+into+barra cks,+says+Prachanda&NewsID=278071). Though this information comes from the bourgeois press, it is with great interest that we examine this news and learn from this experience.
“Dahal said all the hotels and factories would be turned into barracks if the reactionary forces attempt to stop peace and constitution-drafting processes. He said his party would lead the revolt.”
“People had not believed when we were preparing for people’s war.” He said the dreams of the party and martyrs would not be realised unless the workers captured state power.”
Factories to turn into barracks, says Prachanda

Claims people’s revolt the only option left

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE


KATHMANDU: Unified CPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal today directed all workers to make final preparations for the people’s revolt, claiming no other options were left.


Addressing the first national gathering of the Majdoor Swoyam Sewak Dal —Workers’ Volunteers under All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) — at the Khanna Garment, Dahal said all the hotels and factories would be turned into barracks if the reactionary forces attempt to stop peace and constitution-drafting processes. He said his party would lead the revolt.


“Probably people don’t believe us when we talk about revolt. But they will know once we produce results,” he said, adding, “People had not believed when we were preparing for people’s war.” He said the dreams of the party and martyrs would not be realised unless the workers captured state power.


Admitting that there have been several problems within the party, including symptoms of anarchy, rightist-leaning, opportunism, he said the party had been working to get rid of them.


Vice-chairman Mohan Baidhya, general secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa, standing committee member Barshaman Pun, ANTUF chairman Shalikram Jammarkattel and general secretary Ganesh Regmi attended the event.


Earlier the workers took a rally from Shanti Batika to Gwarko.


The meeting formed a central committee of the Workers’ Volunteers under the Workers Volunteers Department of ANTUF, led by deputy general secretary Jagat Simkhada.
The standing committee meeting of the party last Friday had decided to dissolve all the parallel organisations, including the All Nepal Revolutionary Trade Union Federation led by Badri Bajgain.


“We have decided to suspend action taken against Bajgain and decided to form a national organising committee to hold ANTUF conference,” said Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha. http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/20...da/#more-10821 (http://www.anonym.to/?http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/nepal-factories-to-turn-into-barracks-says-maoist-leader-prachanda/#more-10821)

[RED DAVE]

'Full support to the present government'

KANCHANPUR: Politburo Member of the UCPN-Maoist, Hari Bhakta Kandel said the present government will not be toppled till the promulgation of new constitution since Maoists have lets its full support to the government.

Speaking at cadres training programme in Krishnapur-9, Baluwaphata of Kanchanpur, he further said the UCPN (Maoist) has joined the government being conscious to the present context, adding the constitution will not be promulgated by no means if any conspiracy is hatched to topple the government. 



Kandel, who is also the in-charge of UCPN (Maoist), Seti-Mahakali, asserted that the party is committed to frame pro-people constitution even by extending the tenure of Constituent Assembly (CA) as the larger section of people has given mandate to promulgate constitution.

He also urged the cadres to get united against reactionary forces and expansionist elements attempting to disrupt the task of constitution drafting.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=%27Full+support+to+the+prese nt+government%27&NewsID=278742&a=3

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Maoist to revolt if no statute drafted on time: Badal


KATHMANDU: General Secretary of the UCPN-Maoist Ram Bahadur Thapa 'Badal' said the party will be forced to go for a popular revolt if a people's constitution was not drafted by completing the peace process.

Speaking at a programme in the capital organised by Chitwan-Kathmandu Republican Forum on Saturday, he said there was no alternative to completing the peace process and drafting the constitution as per the people's aspiration.

He urged all patriots, nationalists and republicans to unite for the cause of national sovereignty, saying that people's demands could not be met until the country was taken on a progressive course.

Party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was also present in the programme but stayed for few minutes citing his busy schedule.

On the occasion, Maoist central leaders Ishwori Prasad Dahal and Narayan Dahal and other leaders were also present.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Maoist+to+revolt+if+no+statu te+drafted+on+time%3A+Badal&NewsID=279720

RED DAVE

[Dimentio]

The Maoists could be capitulationists, or they might be smart.

Let's say that they topple the Katmandu government and installs the dictatorship of the proletariat.

Within one week, Katmandu could very well be occupied by the Indian army, which reinstates the previous Nepalese rulers.

[RED DAVE]

Hetauda industries back to life


HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
The industrialists took back the keys of the shut industries which they had earlier submitted to the district administration office seeking security

HETAUDA: Industries in Hetauda Industrial Area that had remained close for the past one week resumed operation from today. 

Industry workers had called a shutdown demanding pay hike since March 8, which had ground 65 industries to a halt. 

Hetauda Industry Organisation Chairman Rishiram Ghimire said the entrepreneurs resumed the industries after the agitating workers agreed to return to work without any preconditions. 

Ghimire informed that the industries would continue to operate as per a decision of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Nepal Industrial Area, including other related organisations. 

Ghimire reiterated that the entrepreneurs could not hike the pay and perks of the workers in the local level only.

However, according to Ghimire, they said they were ready to abide by any decision taken by the government over the issue. 

The industrialists took back the keys of the shut industries which they had earlier submitted to the district administration office seeking security. 

According to General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions’ Narayani Zone Vice Chairman Arjun Dhungel, the workers agreed to resume work at the request of the UCPN-Maoist-aligned All Nepal Trade Union Federation, CPN-UML-aligned GEFONT and Nepali Congress affiliated Trade Union Congress. However, Bishnu Rana, Chairman, All Nepal Industry Workers Association, Hetauda, informed that they will continue other form of protests till March 25. “But we won’t close the industries,” he said. 

Similarly, Prakash Paudel, Coordinator, Federation of All Nepal Workers’ Association, Makwanpur, informed that the workers have postponed their scheduled protests only for the time being. “We have postponed the protests as we got the information from the centre that there would be an agreement within a week,” said Poudel. He also warned of intensifying the protests if the entrepreneurs did not hike their pay and other facilities.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Hetauda+industries+back+to+l ife&NewsID=280149

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

'UML ready to review 7-point deal if NC agrees to join govt'


CPN (UML) leader Pradip Gyawali on Monday revealed that efforts are on to bring the Nepali Congress in the UML-Maoist coalition government and expressed optimism that the ongoing discussions with the second largest party in the Constituent Assembly to that end will bring about positive results.

Speaking at a press meet organized in the capital today afternoon, the former minister also claimed that UML will even be ready to amend certain clauses of the seven-point agreement signed with UCPN (Maoist) if Nepali Congress (NC) agrees to join the government.

Gyawali even said that the seven-point agreement was signed with the Maoists to pave the way for the formation of new government and that it should be viewed in that context only and nothing further than that.

Clarifying that his party UML is against any kind of polarization of power, he said that conspiracies are on to polarize the national politics by spreading the fear of leftist polarization in the country.

He urged NC to remain aware of these kinds of conspiracies and end polarization of national politics by joining the current government. http://nepalnews.com/archive/2011/mar/mar21/news11.php

RED DAVE

[Ret]

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=29147

13 Mar 2011

Big money behind Maoist union split
REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, March 13: The Maoist trade union, which is perhaps the most important organization of the party for the much-needed money and muscle, formally split into three factions on Saturday, with the rebel union leader Badri Bajgain declaring to have dissolved the existing 25 branches of the union and formed new ones.

"We held a meeting in the presence of party secretary CP Gajurel and formed 25 branches of the union," Vice-chairman of the Maoist-aligned All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF), Badri Bajgain told Republica.


Bajgain is close to party Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, while the incumbent chief Saligram Jammakattel is close to party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

On Friday, the union´s Assistant General Secretary Lal Dhwaj Nembang, who is close to Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai, had also declared to have formed a separate 125-member union leadership. Previously, Jammakattel had declared to have sacked Bajgain and asked for written clarification of Nembang for breaching the party discipline.

The party leadership seems hopeless in the face of deepening crisis in the organization, though party sources say the leaders are backing their respective factions.

Two weeks back, the party had decided to dissolve all the parallel committees, downsize the current ANTUF central committee, headed by Jammakattel, from 261 members to 93 members with the mandate of holding a national convention for a new leadership. But Nembang and Bajgain declined to accept the leadership of Jammakattel for holding the national convention, while the latter also refused to downsize the ANTUF.

Union leaders admit that the amount of money the union has been collecting as "donations" is behind the current intra-organizational crisis. "I have been demanding action against Jammakattel for two years, but my voice has only fallen on deaf years," said Bajgain.

There are around a dozen complaints against Jammakattel in the party. According to sources, however, Dahal doesn´t want to take action against Jammakattel as the latter is his "most reliable fund-raiser." The union chief is said to have collected Rs 30 million to buy the votes of the lawmakers in favor of Dahal when the latter was a prime ministerial candidate.

"Another reason why Dahal in not in a mood to sack the union chief is because he is the man who can thwart the influence of Baidya and Bhattarai camps in the union," says a Maoist central committee (CC) member.

The casinos in Kathmandu are another source of income for the union. Sources say the union raises more than Rs 100,000 from each of the eight casinos here. "The union gives protection to the casinos and the casino owners pay handsome amount to the union leaders for that," says a junior leader of the union.

And the union also raises sufficient amount of money from the houses around bus stations which are rented out.

The Bajgain and Nembang factions have also accused Jammakattel of sellout. "The union calls a strike at workplace and suddenly calls it off without getting its demands fulfilled. The reason is that the leadership receives money from the owners," says a senior union leader adding that the senior union leaders also join hands with the industrialists in sacking the employees.

The Maoist leadership had long been avoiding the intra-organization conflict in the union, and when it finally took a decision two weeks ago to resolve the conflict, none of the union leaders accepted the decision. "We have been told that the party will soon take a decision," said Bajgain.

Published on 2011-03-13 02:00:44
=================


http://www.ekantipur.com/2011/03/23/top-story/maoist-intra-union-war-tussle-turns-violent/331365.html

23 March 2011

Maoist intra-union war tussle turns violent

EKANTIPUR REPORT

Maoist flag

KATHMANDU, MAR 23 - Maoist trade unionists close to Vice-chairman Babu Ram Bhattarai have said they have been receiving death threats from the establishment faction led by Shalik Ram Jammarkattel.

Organising a press meet on Wednesday, they claimed the Jammarkattel faction, which has been running the All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) unilaterally, had been ousting them from the organisation just for speaking against monopoly. “Jammarkattel has been threatening to sack and attack us physically if we did not become a part of his faction,” Hom Subedi, chairman of All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Trade Union (ANHRTU), Everest Hotel Chapter, said. He added Jammarkattel had lost his grip in five star hotels in Kathmandu where most of the leaders elected recently are Bhattarai loyalists.

“Though I was elected the chairman with a majority, Jammarkattel's hired gangsters have been preventing me from entering the hotel,” said Mukti Dahal, chairman of ANHRTU Hyatt Regency Chapter. The Bhattarai faction has also said the establishment has threatened its members not to perform their duties. “I was held hostage for four hours today (Wednesday),” Narayan Prasad Kharel, a labour leader, said. He has been warned to leave the Bhattarai faction.

The ANTUF split into three factions two weeks ago, supporting UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice Chairmen Bhattarai and Mohan Baidya.
Posted on: 2011-03-23 11:47

[RED DAVE]

Maoist leader Bhattarai slams rumour of party division

DOLAKHA: Vice-chairman of the UCPN-Maoist, Dr Baburam Bhattarai has urged leaders and cadres of his party to remain alert against efforts being made to tarnish the image of the party by spreading the rumour of division in the party.

Addressing the fourth anniversary function of Hamro Radio 103.4 Megahertz FM at Charikot on Wednesday, he said a conspiracy is being hatched to push back Nepal into conflict by foiling the peace and constitution making process.

The country would have to face another disaster if the new Constitution is not promulgated within May 28, he warned.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Maoist+leader+Bhattarai+slam s+rumour+of+party+division&NewsID=281995

RED DAVE

[Ret]

From a longer article;

What does the dissolution of the three parallel Maoist trade unions mean? It means that the situation had become untenable in the eyes of the public, even if the absurdity of three separate unions belonging to the one mother party was simply a reflection of the seemingly irreconcilable three-way split in the highest echelons of the not quite United Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist.

Whoever is now chosen to lead a reformed, united trade union, it will not settle the larger question of whether the largest party in the country can keep itself from falling apart. Whatever the driving forces – external and internal manipulation, ideological schisms, egoism, media sensationalism – even the most diehard Maoist supporter is compelled to concede that the Maoist party has a serious internal problem on its hands. Indeed, most such diehard supporters, the cadre, have already chosen sides. Those whose maintain that every communist party's revolutionary spirit derives from the ferment of debate, and that UCPN (Maoist) is no different, is either lying or blinkered to the realities of revolutionary communism. It is as much wishful thinking as that indulged in by of those who do wish to see the Maoists split. [...]

http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/2011/04/4/Editorial/18086

[mosfeld]

Constitution only after PLA integration: Koirala

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala has stressed that the task of constitution drafting should be accomplished only after the integration, rehabilitation and management of the Maoist combatants.

At a greetings exchange and tea reception organised here on Tuesday by Technical Students Council-Nepal on the occasion of the founding day of Nepal Students’ Union, NC President Koirala said the UCPN-Maoist should come to the political mainstream of democracy to bring the ongoing peace process to logical conclusion and promulgate a new constitution.

The transitional period will not be ended till the restoration of lasting peace in the country, he added.

http://thehimalayantimes.com/rssReference.php?headline=Constitution+only+after+ PLA+integration%3A+Koirala&NewsID=284578

[RED DAVE]

Maoist CC divided over two documents


KATHMANDU: The Central Committee of UCPN-Maoist is divided over the separate political documents of Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya.

In the CC meeting on Saturday, 11 CC members put forth their opinions on the proposed tactical line of the party.

Dahal's supporters pointed out shortcomings on Baidya's document saying it lacked progression, while the CC members close to Baidya flayed the chairman's proposal saying that it leads to surrender.

Notwithstanding his differences with Dahal, another Vice Chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai welcomed the former's proposal for stressing on peace and constitution by keeping aside the rhetorical people's revolt.

The meeting will resume tomorrow.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Maoist+CC+divided+over+two+d ocuments&NewsID=285190

RED DAVE

[Ret]

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/headline/2011-04-30/prachanda:-the-counter-revolutionary

April 30, 2011 6:59 AM

Prachanda: The Counter Revolutionary

Telegraph Nepal

“It is not unnatural for Comrade Kiran (Mohan Baidya) to suspect the new line adopted by our party. Whenever the party takes a new decision at every historical opportunities, such suspicions have been raised and there has been intense internal struggle in our party and it has led the party to a near to split kind of situation. Beginning 1990, as I took over we have taken concrete decisions in every historical opportunities…at this juncture I believe that peace and constitution is needed most. My proposal is not in contradiction to the decision of the extended plenum meeting at Palungtar. There is no need to suspect my intent. I would like to clearly state that is there is no possibility of and the environment is also not favorable for a revolt”.

These are the words of Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal of Unified Maoists Party made at the party steering committee meeting, Thursday April 28, 2011.

In reply said Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya Kiran, Friday April 29, 2011:

“The central committee meeting held immediately after the Palungtar meeting had taken three decisions-Transformation, Unity and Revolt. Neither there has been transformation, nor unity nor have we even prepared for a revolt. The decision was endorsed by seven thousand cadres, yet we had problems in the implementation…Chairman Prachanda’s proposal is not the continuation of Palungtar meeting. The proposal has been forwarded to kill the mandate of Palungtar meeting. It has come at best to shift the mandate of the meeting. Our Chairman is a ‘middle man’—madhyapanthi and it has been on the contant increase. Kiran’s proposal to endorse Palungtar mandate and Prachanda’s to reject it cannot become one. We could instead withdraw our respective proposals and discuss…we used to take Chairman as an icon of the revolution…I have begun feeling that his standing has been gradually slipping away. In the hasty manner Chairman has brought up the matter, I feel that small counterrevolutions of lesser magnitudes are taking place. While in the peace process, we have made several wrong decisions which have weakened the party unity. Those who believe in Maoism feel that they are being gradually sidelined. These suspicions have pushed the party unity on the verge of split”.
Now, as the disputes heat up among Maoist leaders over which Party factions are allocated what ministerial positions in government, with the Baidya faction feeling sidelined, the internal Party rivalry turns to censorship;

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=31027

7 May 2011

Dahal faction seizes pro Baidya magazine
REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, May 7: The ongoing intra-party conflict within the UCPN (Maoist) has scaled a new height after the faction led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal seized 2,000 copies of Nayan Koshi -- a monthly magazine published by faction close to Mohan Baidya -- from the market for allegedly publishing an editorial that is against the party line.

Editor of the magazine Indra Rawat told Republica that the Dahal faction seized the magazines from Bhugol Park and Sinamangal in Kathmandu.

“We have concrete information that of the 2,000 copies, 600 copies were seized from the Bhugol Park and another 1,400 copies from Singamangal by party cadres close to Dahal faction,” Rawat said.

Rawat accused Kirat state in-charge Gopal Kirati from the Dahal faction of violating press freedom by seizing the magazines.

When contacted, Kirati defended his decision to seize the magazines. “How can the editor appointed by the party take an editorial line that is against the party´s official line of peace and constitution,” he questioned.

“The editor is free to run news and articles that are in favor of the political line floated by Kiran [Mohan Baidya] but the editorial should embrace the party´s official line,” he argued.

Rawat however refuted the allegations and said the editorial only pressed for revision in the party´s official line. He also vowed to reprint the magazine if he doesn´t get the seized copies within 2-3 days.

However, Kirati warned that the Kirat State Committee would disown the magazine if the editorial is reprinted.

Published on 2011-05-07 01:30:11

[RED DAVE]

Transportation services‚ industries‚ marketplaces remain shut • Bandh largely peaceful


2011-05-13 11:40 PM

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Though the nationwide general strike today called by Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities affected normal life in the Capital and across the country, the daylong bandh was largely peaceful. 

Brushing aside repeated request from business community, international communities and human rights organisations to call off the strike, NEFIN’s National Front of Indigenous Nationalities’ Movement had enforced the strike to press the government and political parties for ‘timely promulgation of the primary draft of the new constitution incorporating the rights of indigenous nationalities’.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=NEFIN+strike+hits+life+acros s+country+&NewsID=287853

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

UCPN-M proposes separate PLA mechanism

A meeting of Maoist office-bearers held at party Chairman Prachanda´s residence in Naya Bazaar on Saturday decided to float this proposal.


KATHMANDU: The Unified CPN-Maoist has proposed formation of a separate mechanism of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighters.

A meeting of Maoist office-bearers held at party Chairman Prachanda’s residence in Naya Bazaar on Saturday decided to float this proposal.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Maoist Vice-Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the new proposal was proposed in line with the party’s practical earlier publicised policy to make a joint security mechanism of all security bodies.

The meeting decided to hold talks with other parties regarding the modality of army integration. It also reviewed progress made by the Special Committee formed for the integration, rehabilitation and supervision of PLA combatants.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=UCPN-M+proposes+separate+PLA+mechanism&NewsID=287884&a=3

RED DAVE

[Ret]

Vicious factionalism in the Party continues;

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Maoist+trade+unionist+held+o n+attempted+murder+charge&NewsID=287910
14 May 2011

Maoist trade unionist held on attempted murder charge

Added At: 2011-05-14 7:21 PM

SABIN CHANDRA ACHARYA
"Rai was taken into the custody based on a complaint lodged by Dangol"

KATHMANDU: Police on Saturday arrested Kalpadeep Rai, a leader of UCPN-Maoist’s All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF), on charge of attempted of murder of a member of the rival faction in the trade union. Deployed from the Metropolitan Police Range, Hanumandhoka, security personnel in plainclothes raided Rai’s house in Lamatar in Lalitpur to make the arrest.

Rai is the president of Casino Anna Chapter of ANTUF that lends support to Saligram Jamakattel, who is the leader of faction close to Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

A group of about 15 people led by Rai had thrashed Gyan Man Dangol 9 and inflicted injuries on him at Jamal in the Capital on May 9.

Dangol is the treasurer of ANTUF faction close to Maoist Vice Chair Dr Baburam Bhattarai at the Casino.

Police said Rai was taken into the custody based on a complaint lodged by Dangol.

The two factions were at loggerheads after the mother party decided to suspend Rai along with two others—Nani Kaji Basnet and Kishor Khatri—for three months citing their involvement in anti-party activities.

The Maoist party had dissolved ANTUF solely led by Jamakattel and mandated party secretary Posta Bahadur Bogati to hold the national conference to elect a new leadership in the wake of growing intra-organisational crisis and clashes last month.

[RED DAVE]

Maoist chair abruptly leaves for Bangkok


KATHMANDU: At the time major political parties have intensified talks to discuss the extension of Constituent Assembly term, UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal abruptly left for Thailand on Sunday evening.



Though the purpose of his been kept secret, a source close to his party claimed that Dahal is set to take part in a progamme organised by the Asia Pacific Exchange Cooperation Foundation in Bangkok.

Dahal is accompanied by his son Prakash.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Maoist+chair+abruptly+leaves +for+Bangkok&NewsID=288041

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Party cadre threatens Bhattarai

Is rift within culminating in a menace?


HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
KATHMANDU: Dispute within the Unified CPN-Maoist has reached a new height — top leaders of the party have begun receiving threats from their own cadres. Maoist leaders now feel insecure from their own activists who otherwise would be ready to sacrifice their lives during the people’s war.

Maoist Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai today became a victim.

Bhattarai received threats from one of the factions of the party-affiliated trade union for ‘forcing its leader to languish behind bars’.

With three-cornered battle going on in the party with each faction led by party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Senior Vice Chairman Mohan Baidhya and Vice Chairman Bhattarai, the party’s trade union — All Nepal Trade Union Federation, now dissolved in the wake of growing clashes among union cadres — too is divided into three. According to a supporter of Bhattarai, an ANTUF central leader today threatened to attack Bhattarai for ‘assisting in the arrest of Kalpadip Rai, president of the ANTUF Casino Anna chapter’. Rai, who along with his associates had attacked a pro-Bhattarai trade union leader Gyanman Dangol in Jamal on May 9, was arrested by police on Saturday on attempt to murder charge.

The Bhattarai supporter said Bhattarai had reached the party headquarters to attend a meeting with Indian journalists, who were in Kathmandu, when he was subjected to the threat.

ANTUF leader Janak Bartaula had reportedly rang up his associates and told them ‘cut Bhattarai down to size’. Maoist security personnel then had restrained Bartaula, who is a bouncer at Tara Casino, from ordering his associates in that manner.

But pro-Dahal workers refuted the allegations, claiming Bartaula did not say anything of that sort.

The ANTUF leaders, including Bartaula, later left their office in Paris Danda following a meeting with former ANTUF president Saligram Jammakattel, who is said to be close to Dahal.

Bhattarai has sounded General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa and Home Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara about the incident.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Party+cadre+threatens+Bhatta rai&NewsID=288243

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Death threat exposes chasm among Nepal Maoists


(ians) Kathmandu, May 17

After battling the government for 10 years, nepal's former maoist guerrillas are now fighting among themselves with assaults and death threats exposing the growing chasm between the top leaders ahead of a deep constitutional crisis.


The deputy chief of the once underground party, former finance minister baburam bhattarai, hit the headlines tuesday after allegedly receiving death threats from a party trade union activist loyal to maoist chief pushpa kamal dahal prachanda.


Bhattarai, who had been once demoted in the past for his differences with prachanda, has registered complaints with maoist home minister krishna bahadur mahara and other party leaders after a maoist trade unionist reportedly threatened him with death for having stepped into a row between different factions of the maoist trade union.


The maoist dirty linen began to be washed in public like never before this month with the trade union faction loyal to prachanda attacking and injuring a unionist supporting bhattarai.


The maoist deputy pressured police into arresting the alleged attacker, which triggered the death threat.


This is a sequel to the party becoming divided three ways, with prachanda at loggerheads with his two deputies, bhattarai as well as mohan vaidya.
Regarding bhattarai as the main challenge to his returning to power as prime minister, prachanda this year colluded with his once rival, communist party chief jhala nath khanal, to help the latter win the prime ministerial election and keep bhattarai out.


Since then, following the policy of divide and rule, prachanda has been alternately siding with the two deputies to keep his grip on the party leadership.


Taking their cue from the warring leaders, the maoist cadre is also split three ways now.


The once powerful maoist trade union is now split into three camps, with frequent ugly scenes.


The new crisis in the party, that is the largest following the last election in 2008, comes even as nepal is hurtling towards a constitutional deadline with no chance of meeting it.


The ruling parties have to promulgate a new constitution by may 28. However, khanal has already expressed his inability to deliver and is now seeking the support of the other parties to extend the deadline by one year.


The floundering prime minister needs the approval of two-thirds of the mps in the 601-seat house.


The main opposition party, the nepali congress, is opposing an unconditional extension and is seeking the support of the smaller parties to defeat khanal's proposal in parliament.


Khanal's own party men are divided with some calling for his ouster. Now with the maoists also at war among themselves, bhattarai is calling for khanal's exit and the formation of an all-party government.


The new battle of the ballot is likely to be held on may 26.http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=239154

RED DAVE

[Ret]

.

http://www.ekantipur.com/2011/05/17/top-story/maoists-stage-demo-against-death-threat/334150.html

17 May 2011

Maoists stage demo against death threat

EKANTIPUR REPORT

KATHMANDU, MAY 17 -

The UCPN (Maoist) cadres on Tuesday drew attention of the party towards the death threat issued against party Vice Chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai.

The party cadres and leaders, supporting Bhattarai, staged a demonstration for an hour at the party headquarters in Perishdada today demanding security for the vice chair and actions against those who issued death threat.

A trade union leader close to Salikram Jammakattel, the immediate past president of All Nepal Trade union Federation (ANTUF), had reportedly threatened to “finish off” Maoist Vice Chairman Bhattarai.

Janak Bartola, a worker of Hyatt Regency Hotel, in the telephone conversation, allegedly told an unknown person that they would “kill” Bhattarai within four to five days.

The security guards later informed Bhattarai about the conversation. Soon Bhattarai telephoned Home Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara and party General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa demanding action against Bartola. However, Jammakattel rebuffed the charge and said it was baseless.

===========

http://www.ekantipur.com/2011/05/17/top-story/bhattarai-murder-plot-hatched-at-paris-danda-sharma/334156.html

17 May 2011

Bhattarai murder-plot hatched at Paris Danda: Sharma

EKANTIPUR REPORT

Dinanath Sharma
UCPN (Maoist) Spokesperson Dinanath Sharma

KATHMANDU, MAY 17 -

UCPN (Maoist) Spokesperson Dinanath Sharma has claimed it has been revealed that the alleged plot to murder Maoist Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai was hatched at the party head-office in Paris Danda.

"The party has been shocked and alerted by the revelation that the conspiracy to execute party Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai was being plotted within the premises of the party central office in Paris Danda," read a press statement released by Sharma.

"First of all, the party heavily condemns such a conspiratorial exercise. Furthermore, the party would like to thank the PLA combatants and security personnel of Vice Chairman Bhattarai for information the leadership about it on time," the statement further read.

Sharma, in the press statement, has said that the increasing anarchical, undisciplined and ruckus behaviour in recent times has raised the suspicion whether the infiltration of reactionaries has reached a dangerous level.

It is the responsibility of the party to investigae those involved in the plot and bring them to justice, the statemend added.

Media had publicised that a Maoist trade union cadre identified as Janak Bartaula had called people from his cell-phone to kill Bhattarai on Monday.

[Ret]

Now the gloves are off, maybe the Party boss is looking for some discrete help in "neutralising" the loose cannons in the Party?...

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/headline/2011-05-16/nepal-maoist-chief-dahal-in-bangkok-may-meet-indian-intelligence-operatives:-media

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Nepal Maoist Chief Dahal in Bangkok, may meet Indian Intelligence operatives: Media

Telegraph Nepal

Without prior information Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal of Unified Maoists’ Party accompanied by his heir apparent Prakash Dahal headed mysteriously to Bangkok, Sunday May 15, 2011.

Reports have it that Dahal had made a last minute telephone call to vice chairman Babu Ram Bhattarai informing that he was heading to the capital of Thailand to attend a meeting of Asia Pacific Exchange Cooperation Foundation.

Dahal currently is the vice chairman of the Foundation.

Dahal took a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok at 2:00 PM.

However, reports confirm that no such meeting of the China based foundation has been set in Bangkok.

The Bangkok trip is thus definitely a mysterious one.

It is also reported that Dahal will hold a meeting with expatriate Nepalis.

Flimsy pretexts readymade.

The Maoists’ Chairman is likely to meet India’s intelligence operatives in Bangkok. The meeting has been planned by the so-called India’s Nepal expert S.D. Muni, writes one of the leading national dailies.

“Nepal’s ambassador to Thailand Nabinprakash Jung Shah who had arrived at the Airport to greet the Maoists chief was told to return to the Embassy. It has also been kept a guarded secret in which hotel Dahal is currently residing”.

A mystery becomes more mysterious.

According to Rajdhani Daily, “Dahal while in Bangkok will hold discussions with the Indian officials over the issue of extension of CA tenure, Peace Process and other issues related to Constitution Drafting.”

In his last mysterious trip to Singapore, March 16, 2011, which was made under the pretext of a similar meeting with the members of the Foundation, Dahal had met three intelligence operatives working under India’s Prime Minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh. Before Singapore, Dahal had made a similar trip to Malaysia and London.

Dahal prefers to fly abroad. Nepal perhaps is not a suitable country for him.

It has also been reported that Dahal will return home today but it is likely that he will be back only on Tuesday.

[Ret]

Community relations...

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Frenzied+PLA+fighters+run+am ok+in+Chulachuli&NewsID=288361 (http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Frenzied+PLA+fighters+run+am ok+in+Chulachuli&NewsID=288361)

18 May 2011

Frenzied PLA fighters run amok in Chulachuli

• Batter local youth brutally • Whisk injured off to cantonment • Release them next day
Added At: 2011-05-18 12:10 AM
Last Updated At: 2011-05-18 12:10 AM
ROHIT KUMAR LUITEL
DAMAK: Maoist fighters billeted in the First Division Cantonment in Chulachuli of Ilam on Monday night went berserk and beat up villagers of Kamaljhoda of Chulachuli to within an inch of their life.

According to locals, a group of more than 50 Maoist fighters, who had come out of
the cantonment, also vandalised six houses. After the rampage, the combatants took injured Chhabi Subba, Man Bahadur Phago, Birat Limbu, Dipendra Tumba and Bishal Sunuwar, forcefully to cantonment, said locals.

Another injured Dik Bahadur Subba, who has received a serious injury on his head, has been rushed to Neuro Hospital in Biratnagar.

Stricken villagers wailed throughout the night as combatants wielded power and pounced on the youth in front of their families.

According to Chhabi’s mother Lilamaya, the combatants barged into her house and started thrashing both of her sons all of a sudden. “They hauled my sons out in the yard and brandished guns when me and my sister-in-law asked them to stop,” said Lilamaya. “They would sprinkle water on my sons when they fell unconscious and thrash them again.”

Lilamaya added that after assaulting her sons brutally, the combatants had taken Chhabi, who had passed out by then, towards the south. “I sent Dik Bahadur, who was unable to speak, to hospital for treatment.” Another local Kamala Rai said the combatants went on the rampage and vandalised houses as they uttered obnoxious words. “We managed to hide under a cot with our children,” said Kamala.

Indra Kumari Sunuwar, who had come to the cantonment to visit her injured son Bishal, said her son was beaten black and blue.

Suman Thamsuhang, a fifth grader who was also injured during the assault, said the combatants had hit him with a gun and rods.

A day after the Maoist fighters went berserk, organising a press meet in the division headquarters today, cantonment’s military secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa said a rescue team that was sent to the village after learning about the incident had brought the injured to the cantonment for treatment. Thapa admitted that some fighters were out of the cantonment on Monday night ‘for a few hours’ but tried to downplay the incident saying ‘they were not carrying guns, khukuris and spears as claimed by the villagers’.

The villagers have surmised that the violent attack by combatants on local youth was aimed at settling a score with the latter. According to the villagers, the local youth on May 14 had assaulted some combatants during a PLA fighter Chandra Bahadur Rai’s marriage with a local girl. PLA combatants Nawaraj Khatri and Prakash Rai were injured in the incident. A day after, the combatants had lodged a complaint against Dhurba Lawoti, Buddha Phago, Jeevan Tumbapo, Nayan Phago and Dik Bahadur Subba.

Former military secretary Naresh told reporters that the youth had assaulted some combatants. “The youth didn’t turn up at Damak police for settling the dispute on Monday,” he said. All the injured returned home from cantonments today afternoon.

Meanwhile, issuing a press statement, Ilam-Kathmandu liaison committee of the Nepali Congress today demanded that the government take strict action against the combatants and provide compensation to the victims.



============

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=%C2%B4We+were+thrashed+all+t he+way+to+camp%C2%B4&NewsID=288360

18 May 2011

´We were thrashed all the way to camp´

Added At: 2011-05-18 12:07 AM

Last Updated At: 2011-05-18 12:07 AM


BISHAL SUNUWAR

CHULACHULI: I was invited at Dipendra Tumba's house on Monday night. A brief chitchat followed the dinner and then we went to the bed at around 10pm.

But suddenly we heard some sound, which later approached our doors. Dipendra responded to the knock, which was mixed with shouts like 'bring them out, bring them out'. No sooner had Dipendra opened the door than a group of youth pounced on us and started beating us with rods and butts of guns.

They dragged me out of the room and thrashed me. They hit me on my head; I was soon soaked with the blood. There were about 50-60 of them. I almost lost consciousness but they would not stop beating me. I started crying, but it seems, it provoked them more. I could see that some of them were assaulting Dipendra. From 11pm to 1am their brutality continued and they dragged us to the cantonment and kept on assaulting us.

As they reached the gate of the camp, one of them punched me hard which followed a question: "Weren't you the one present in the marriage?" I said I wasn't but, I now realise, their question didn't demand the answer. When we were dumped in a room, I regained my sight and I spotted some other local youth from my village there. Their condition was no better; with faces swollen and bruises all over. A Maoist fighter came and gave us a tablet saying it was a hospital. Some other combatants applied a bandage to my head.

I was so scared that I could not sleep the whole night. They gave us food at 11am the next day (on Tuesday) but I had no appetite. I was worried that they would confine us into that room again. A little later, I saw my mother. She had brought some clothes for me. I changed. At around 3pm, they left us at the gate of the camp. After reaching my village, I came to know that they had released us from the eastern gate of the camp while they had called our relatives, villagers, human rights activists and mediapersons at the western gate.

I was later sent to a hospital. I had done nothing against them. I am innocent but they beat me up mercilessly. This is injustice. My wounds will heal, but what about the pain they have inflicted on me?

(As told to Rohit Kumar Luitel)


(http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Frenzied+PLA+fighters+run+am ok+in+Chulachuli&NewsID=288361)

[Ret]

After my speculation earlier about Prachanda seeking Indian aid now to "neutralise" Party rivals - reports say the prevailing paranoia in the Party is reopening old wounds for Baidya about claims of similar tricks in the past;

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/headline/2011-05-19/nepal-maoists-party-likely-to-split-dahal-plotted-baidyas-arrest-in-india

Nepal Maoists party likely to split, Dahal plotted Baidya’s arrest in India

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Telegraph Nepal

Senior Vice Chairman of Nepal Communist Party Unified Maoist Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ has claimed that it was Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda who had plotted arrest of some of the party top hats while being in Indian exile.

This Baidya claimed at the ongoing secret meeting of his panel held somewhere in Baneshwor-Kathmandu, claims one of the leading daily news papers.

Hilarious revelation. Better late than never.

Including Baidya, Secretary C.P. Gajurel, Kul Prasad K.C. and Matrika Yadav were mysteriously arrested by the Indian police while in exile just ahead of the extended plenum meeting of party’s central committee held in Chunbang at the fag-end of the peoples’ revolt.

To recall, Baidya while on his way to an eye hospital in Siliguri was all of a sudden arrested by the local Indian police. Similarly, C.P. Gajurel was arrested at Chennai Airport for possessing a fake passport. Matrika Yadav, Suresh Aley Magar and K.C. were arrested from New Delhi.

Later Matrika and Magar were deported to Nepal during the Royal regime.

Prior to the arrest of the selected Maoists’ leaders in India, another vice chairman Babu Ram Bhattarai, Dina Nath Sharma, Hisila Yami and others were kept under detention by the Dahal panel.

Later the Indian establishment through India’s so-called Nepal expert S.D. Muni and his ilk convinced Dahal to release Babu Ram Bhattarai and his supporters from the party detention.

India’s foreign secretary then Shyam Saran too had played a key role.

Immediately after Bhattarai’s release, the spree of arrest took place in India, which allowed Dahal to swiftly manage to switch from the Revolt line to DemocraticRepublican line envisioned by Bhattarai. With Baidya arrested, Bhattarai managed to convince Dahal of his line through the effective use of the Indian machination.

The Rajdhani Daily, May 19, 2011 adds, it was after the party became a part of the peace process the leaders who were detained by India were released.

Thus a republican order appears to have been imposed on Nepal by the Indian regime through the kind courtesy of Bhattarai.

“Chairman Prachanda plotted our arrest (Baidya and C.P. Gajurel) in India and got the Democratic Republican line passed by the Chunbang meet”, Baidya is quoted as saying by a central committee member present at the secret meeting.

“We need to be very cautious and take our steps carefully because Prachanda is a person who could go to any extent”, Baidya is further quoted.

Is Prachanda so dangerous then? When Baidya says so then let’s believe his explanations.

Baidya also instructed his men to remain ever vigilant because Prachanda was in a mission to finish them.

Baidya followers from various parts of the country have been invited to the secret meeting.

Senior leader Dev Gurung and other leaders such as Netra Bikram Chand and politburo members Pampha Bhusal and Dharemendra Bastola are also some of the participations of the meeting.

This perhaps speaks of the “internal” state of the Maoists party as of now.

“During the revolt, Prachanda feared that if Comrade Badal (General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa) led front continued to succeed in the attack on state forces, Badal would be powerful enough to capture the party leadership. Thus Prachanda manufactured stories linking Comrade Badal with Comrade Ms. Pampha Bhusal. Similarly, Prachanda is also blaming Comrade Gaurav (Gajurel) of being influenced by the Europeans”, Baidya also said.

Netra Bikram Chand informed at the meeting that Dahal had requested him not to take on to the course of party split until May 28, 2011.

“I told him that if differences persist it is better to split the party to preserve ideology”, Chand added.

“Prachanda fears party split but he is planning to capture the party headquarters if that eventuality takes a shape”, Chand revealed at the meeting.

He also held that secret meetings are on in Prachanda’s camp not to allow us to capture the party headquarters.

Another leader however, says that the possibility of party split is remote in the present context.

“We prefer to create another party within the party itself but do not favor a vertical split”, Rajdhani quotes the leader as saying.

In the secret meeting, senior leader Dev Gurung expressed that Comrade Prachanda at one instance had kept him in the dark and misled him to get the UML-NC agenda approved by the constitutional committee.

The meeting reports the Rajdhani daily, has also devised an intelligence mechanism under the leadership of Netra Bikram Chand that will collect information from the grass root and pass it on to the central leadership.

Analysts expect some more thrilling stories in the days ahead. Every height has a fall, it has rightly been said.

[RED DAVE]

Dahal faces war from within

• Dahal has to earn trust of other parties by offering them concessions; he is under pressure from Mohan Baidya to do the opposite


KATHMANDU, MAY 17 -
As the deadline of the tenure of the Constituent Assembly draws close, all eyes are set on UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s “bold move” to break the deadlock in the peace and constitution drafting processes. While Dahal has to earn trust of other parties by offering them concessions, he is under intense pressure from hardliner Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya to do the opposite.

Dahal may have got his party behind him in endorsing the line of peace and constitution last month, but he faces an uphill battle inside the party to announce his “bold move” on integration of the Maoist combatants. He will most likely have to give in to the Nepali Congress’ demands for “irreversible” concessions on the integration issue.

Dahal has two challenges—-forging consensus with other parties and taking the Baidya faction into confidence on important decisions such as army integration. Given that the hardliners have a sizeable influence over the PLA, Dahal will have to carry them along. However, he has already alienated them during the last Cabinet expansion. As a result, two ministers from the Baidya faction are yet to take oath of office.

Dahal faces competing demands from within and without his party. While the Baidya faction wants agreement on outstanding issues of constitution prior to an agreement over the fate of PLA, other parties are demanding concrete steps on integration before they commit to extending the term of the Constituent Assembly. On the modality integration, the most disputed and debated issue, the hardliners prefer a separate force of PLA. Yet, they are willing to accept the idea of a mixed force as long as the leadership of the new entity is given to PLA.

Though Dahal accepts that the new constitution will be a “compromise” document, the hardliners are rigid on issues in the new constitution. “Neither the Maoists, Congress, UML or Madhesi parties can impose their will entirely. We have to find a middle path. The new constitution will have to create a win-win situation for all. That means all parties will have to compromise and adjust,” said Dahal in an interview to the Post earlier this month.

The hardliners see it differently. “The new constitution should be ‘people’s constitution’, and on the issue of state restructuring we have to follow the report of the state restructuring committee of CA”, the political document of Baidya presented in the CC reads.

A leader said Dahal is ready to create 8-10 federal states in negotiation with NC as long as it addresses issues of oppression and marginalisation, but the Baidya faction has put its foot down on 14 federal states as suggested by the majority report of the state restructuring committee. Left-leaning analyst Shyam Shrestha said Dahal can take any decision inside the party if he wishes.

“Dahal’s position inside the party can be compared to that of Girija Prasad Koirala’s position inside NC. On crucial occasions, he has shown a penchant for risk-taking, so Baidya’s position would not stop Dahal from completing the peace and constitution if he so desires,” said Shrestha.

Maoist politburo member Haribol Gajurel said Dahal is ready to take any risk for the benefit of the nation and the people. “Certainly, there are many challenges inside the party including different dissenting views, but Dahal is ready to take bold decisions that involve significant risk,” said Gajurel.RED DAVE

[Ret]

This is what some Maoists apparently see as 'class struggle within the party';

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=31515

20 May 2011

Casino trade unionist charged for murder bid
REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, May 20: Public prosecutors on Friday charge-sheeted Maoist-affiliated leader of casino workers Kalpadeep Rai and 13 others for attempted murder and demanded jail terms of 12 years.

Rai, president of the Maoist-affiliated trade union´s Casino Anna unit, has been accused of assaulting Yagyaman Dangol, treasurer of the same outfit. Police arrested Rai last week following the incident but the 13 other Maoists managed to abscond.

Differences between Rai and Dangol, reportedly over casino management, had taken a nasty turn. The two are considered to be supportive of Maoist supremo Puspa Kamal Dahal and senior leader Baburam Bhattarai respectively.

“They did not clash politically. Actually, they resorted to an exchange of blows after Dangol campaigned in favor of the old management,” said casino sources.

Casino Anna was shut for three months before the new Indian management took over a few weeks ago amid protests by Ram Krishna Chakradhar´s group. Chakradhar, backed by Dangol, was general manager of the casino under the erstwhile management of Rakesh Wadhwa.

Published on 2011-05-20 23:00:01

[Ret]

The Party line; 'clarify the Party line by killing 'comrades''...(but don't get caught, dummy).

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Maoists+suspended+for+threat ening+Bhattarai&NewsID=288811

22 May 2011


Maoists suspended for threatening Bhattarai


Added At: 2011-05-22 12:22 AM

Last Updated At: 2011-05-22 12:22 AM


HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The UCPN-M standing committee meeting today suspended Janak Bartaula for three months for threatening Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai.

“Following interrogation, we concluded that Bartaula had lied when he refuted the allegation. Therefore, we decided to take action against him,” said party secretary C P Gajurel.

The meeting decided to take steps to discourage wrong attitude within the workers’ organisation affiliated to the party. The party admitted that delay in dealing with the Bartaula case and the tendency to give public statements outright, were weaknesses of the leadership. Citing damage to the party image, the meeting decided to resolve such problems internally.

Today’s meeting entrusted the responsibility of ensuring 33 per cent women’s representation in the cabinet to central office bearers after conceding that failure to comply with the interim constitution in this regard was due to weakness in the party leadership.

The meeting decided to postpone the People’s Volunteers programmes scheduled for May 22 and 24 due to strikes announced by different groups and parties.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told leaders that NC president Shushil Koirala. had insisted that Maoists must show they had detached themselves from weapons, but I told him that was impossible,” He also said the PM was being pressed by the Nepal-Oli group in the UML

[Ret]

The PLA leadership appears to accept the integration deal;
http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2011/05/20/top-story/pla-integration-pla-too-accepts-na-proposed-modality/221921.html

21 May 2011

PLA integration: PLA, too, accepts NA-proposed modality

PHANINDRA DAHAL

KATHMANDU, MAY 20 -
A day after the UCPN (Maoist) Standing Committee decided to accept the modality proposed by Nepal Army on the integration of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) combatants, a general staff meeting of the PLA on Friday put its stamp of approval on the party’s decision.

Friday’s development is likely to provide impetus to the initiative taken by party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal who is under pressure from hardliners within his party and the Nepali Congress, the main opposition party.

PLA Chief Nanda Kishore Pun, his deputy Chandra Prakash Khanal and commanders of the seven divisions of the PLA concluded that the party had made the “right decision” on Thursday. Standing Committee member Barsha Man Pun briefed the PLA brass on the decision to accept the proposal to form a separate directorate for the integration.

“There was unanimous support for the decision taken by the party,” PLA Spokesperson Khanal told the Post. “We expressed commitment to support the implementation of the decision.”

During an hour-long discussion, participants expressed dissatisfaction over the note of dissent registered by the party’s hardline faction led by Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya. “The military is a delicate issue, so it should not be dragged into the ideological differences of senior leaders,” another participant quoted the commanders as saying. “Consensus within the party and with other parties would form the very basis for the successful integration and rehabilitation process.”

The PLA commanders also suggested that there should be 50-50 representation of the combatants and personnel from other security agencies in the new directorate that would be under the Nepal Army. They also recommended that the party should ensure “fair representation” of combatants in the directorate. “We should get the leadership of the directorate,” said a participant.

Maoist leaders say all the division commanders back Dahal, who was the supreme commander of the PLA before being elected prime minister in 2008. “We are cautious about not allowing differences within the party to affect the chain of command of the PLA,” said a leader.

Posted on: 2011-05-21 08:39

[Rjevan]

The off-topic posts were trashed and can be found here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/off-topic-news-t155174/index.html).

but if the admin(s) see fit to remove anything, it could sensibly only be my one line comments above the news items - but not the news items themselves.
True, there's nothing wrong with your news and certainly no "party line" in these threads. But please refrain from comments like the one which started this discussion and was bound to do so. We understand the content of the news item without You're more than welcome to start a seperate thread on Nepali Maoism, discuss the latest developments and give your analysis. These news threads are not the right place to do so.

[Ret]

True, there's nothing wrong with your news and certainly no "party line" in these threads. But please refrain from comments like the one which started this discussion and was bound to do so. We understand the content of the news item without You're more than welcome to start a seperate thread on Nepali Maoism, discuss the latest developments and give your analysis. These news threads are not the right place to do so.
If the above was consistent with the earlier usage of this thread then I'd say "fair enough". But looking back at earlier pages there's plenty of argument, conflicting interpretation and comment etc on the latest news. So why has mine been singled out? Considering the attempted murder of one Party faction by another, and that the present events occurring are described by some pro-maoists as 'internal Party class struggle', my comments (apart from the "dummy" bit, which is a comment that this alleged attempted murder was a bungled job) are imo a fair description.

If you insist that this thread must be strictly be for only reporting factual news - without comment - then please be explicit that this is the case. If not, then what is allowed? It remains unclear. I'm left with the impression that I'm not allowed to criticise the behaviour of those Party leaders favoured by Revleft pro-maoists.

But what about any poor Bhattarai supporters - already under threat, are they also to be discriminated against by such moderating decisions?! :D

[Rjevan]

While discussions about state capitalism like on page 9 could have been split as off-topic (and I would have done so if it was requested) they are at least somewhat constructive. The posts I trashed are "conflicting interpretations" about who trolls...

You are not singled out as the fact that none of your earlier posts were reported and that last one wasn't trashed shows. You are allowed to criticise whomever you like as you and others have done in earlier posts and comments in this thread but there's clearly a difference between these and your post in question. Just compare it with RED DAVE's "Party cadre threatens Bhattarai" and "Death threat exposes chasm".

All I asked for was refraining from obviously provocative comments which can't but derail this thread into a small-scale tendency war. Any possible Bhattarai supporters are free to bash the whole UCPN (M) if they feel like it but they'll have to do so in a seperate thread.

[RED DAVE]

The source isn't great, but this, if true, is not good.

Nepal government bans protests near parliament


Kathmandu, May 24 (IANS) With just four days left before a potential constitutional meltdown, Nepal's communist-Maoist government Tuesday clamped prohibitions near the parliament building, banning all protests and rallies within a 50m radius.

Security forces swung into action in the morning, removing by force the various pressure groups who had been holding peaceful demonstrations before parliament for days, demanding the promulgation of the new constitution within the stipulated May 28 deadline.

Riot police carried nearly 20 struggling former lawmakers from near the building, loading them into vans and evicting them from the prohibited area.

They also demolished the makeshift canopies built by the protesters and carted away the rough mats they had used to sit.

The former lawmakers had been on a token hunger strike for 17 days.

Police also removed groups of women who had been meeting before parliament for almost a month, asking the ruling parties to conclude the peace process and ensure women's rights in the new constitution.

There have been several more protests by civil society members. One of the most moving ones saw grieving family members gathering with Mukesh Kayastha, a teen who has been in a coma since 2006, when he took part in the pro-democracy movement against King Gyanendra's army-backed regime and was badly injured by security forces.

Ironically, the same Maoist party that cracked down on peaceful protests had led much more violent and disruptive protests for nearly two years since the fall of its government in 2009, including a six-day general strike and protracted blockades of the prime minister's office and other key ministries.

The home ministry that ordered Tuesday's crackdown on peaceful protests is led by Maoist minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is seeking to withdraw criminal cases against Maoist cadres.

Mahara himself faces the accusation of having sought NRS 50 million from a China-based businessman to bribe MPs into voting for his party.

The parliament building will turn into a battlefield this week when the prime minister seeks a vote to extend the deadline for writing the new constitution by a year.

He needs the support of two-third of the nearly 600 sitting MPs but has fallen short of the required number after one of his allies split, with half of its lawmakers joining the opposition.http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=240528

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Nepal Averts Crisis Over Constitution Deadline
By KIRAN CHAPAGAIN
Published: May 29, 2011


KATMANDU, Nepal — Nepal’s political parties averted a crisis on Sunday by reaching a last-minute deal that extended the deadline for a new constitution. Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal agreed to step down as part of the deal.
Nepal has been embroiled in contentious political negotiations for more than a year over the shape of the constitution as well as the final details of a peace agreement that ended a bloody Maoist insurgency.

Once a Hindu monarchy, Nepal is now a new democracy with power divided among several major parties, including the Maoists, who have joined the political process.

The deal on Sunday prevented Nepal from tumbling into the political unknown. A special legislative body — known as the Constituent Assembly — that was charged with drafting a constitution was scheduled to adjourn if a deal had not been reached. Analysts warned of a political crisis if Nepal had been left without a constitution.http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/30/world/asia/30nepal.html

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Shrestha faction decries Maoist internal rift


Added At: 2011-05-31 5:07 PM
Last Updated At: 2011-05-31 6:49 PM

TIKA RAM PRADHAN

KATHMANDU: Vice chairman of UCPN-Maoist Narayankaji Shrestha organised a separate gathering of party cadres affiliated to him on Tuesday at a Shantinagar based- party palace in Kathmandu.

Approximately two hundred cadres participated in the meeting.



According to a politburo member of UCPN-M, Bishwo Bhakta Dulal ‘Aahuti’, the meeting discussed the growing divergence and differences within the party. 

Various party cadres have put forth their views and suggestions in the meeting regarding the internal problems facing the party of late. 



“All the party members have emphasised the need of the unity within the party in the meeting,” Dulal said. 

He added that the meeting also decided to play an active role in bringing unity in the party by ending the current division.



Meanwhile, secretary of Bhojpura State Committee Anjana Bishankhe demanded the fulfillment of equal participation of women in the party. Speaking with THT Bishankhe insisted on the need for the implementation of the issue at the earliest.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Shrestha+faction+decries+Mao ist+internal+rift&NewsID=290032&a=3

RED DAVE

[Ret]

Life at the top;

http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/2011/06/1/FromtheNepaliPress/18248

From The Nepali Press
Living on perks, Kantipur
Saroj Raj Adhikari i, 17 May
FROM ISSUE #555 (27 MAY 2011 - 02 JUNE 2011) According to a report, made under the directive of the State Affairs Committee, state resources and privileges are being distributed to government office bearers and their predecessors without following any rules or procedures. The committee had demanded the details in order to streamline the use of the state's resources and prevent misuse. There is no standard guideline as to how these perks are distributed.
The president, as a head of the state enjoys basic privileges of two vehicles and 310 litres of fuel per month along with additional Rs 100,000 miscellaneous expense to host dignitaries in his office and residence. Incumbent ministers and the ex-ministers enjoy huge perks depending on their power and influence. In this regard, Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal tops the list. Among the ex- prime ministers, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal takes home the most benefits. The privileges given to ex-home ministers KP Oli and Bhim Rawal exceeds even those given to ex-prime ministers. Rawal got an expensive Japanese SUV for home ministry few days before he left the office and has refused to return the car. Ex-MP and influential power broker, Amresh Kumar Singh, enjoys a government privileges in the form of a luxury car, 120 litres of fuel/month and a security personnel.
"The trend of taking perks seems to be less for necessity and more to exert power," says committee chairman Ram Nath Dhakal.
Following are the officially-sanctioned perks:
Prime Minister Jhal Nath Khanal: 3 jeeps, 3 pick-ups and 2 cars, 1000 litres fuel/month, 88 security personnel
Pushpa Kamal Dahal: 1 jeep, 2 cars, 300 litres fuel/month, Rs 80,000/month house rent and electricity bill and 33 security personnel in addition to his party's security
Sher Bahadur Deuba: Two cars, 300 litres of fuel/month and 26 security personnel
KP Oli: 2 cars, 1 pick-up, 450 litres fuel/month and 27 security personnel
Bhim Rawal: 2 vehicles (including a new Japanese luxury car), 200 litres of petroland 22 security personnels


=============

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=31890

2 Jun 2011

Maoists to end dual security for leaders
REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, June 2: In what may be seen as a major step toward implementation of the five-point deal reached between the three major parties for extension of the Constituent Assembly term, the UCPN (Maoist) has decided to end the security being provided to the senior party leaders by PLA personnel.

Ending the "dual security system" for the Maoist leaders was one of the major demands of the Nepali Congress (NC) while lending its support to CA term extension. Maoist leaders are being given security by both the PLA personnel and the state security forces.

A meeting of the party´s top office bearers on Wednesday took a decision to this effect through majority votes, while the party hardliners led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya registered a note of dissent.

In the seven-member office bearers´ committee, only Baidya and Secretary CP Gajurel are from the hardline faction.

"His [Baidya´s] argument was that the issue should be decided by the Standing Committee," said Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha.

It is the third time that the Baidya faction has registered a note of dissent against the party´s decision. Baidya had registered his first dissent when Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal decided to defer the line of revolt and opt for peace and constitution through a majority vote, and second when the party decided to accept the integration modality floated by the Nepal Army (NA).

According to Shrestha, the PLA personnel deployed for the security of the leaders would return to the cantonments.

There are 107 PLA combatants providing security to the leaders. Some four dozen combatants are deployed for the security of Dahal alone.

The Maoists have also decided to privatize vehicles used by the party leaders and register those used in the cantonments as government vehicles. The Maoists altogether have 96 vehicles.

Similarly, the weapons being used for the security of the leaders would be sent back to the cantonments. The Maoists have 96 weapons including AK-47s, SLRs and pistols outside the cantonments for the security of the leaders. Two of them have, however, been taken away by the Matrika Yadav faction. [...]

Top brass told to go public;

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=31829

31 May 2011

'Maoist brass must send children to public schools'

TEK NARAYAN BHATTARAI
PALPA, May 31: UCPN (Maoist) student wing All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) Chairman Himal Sharma on Monday said that the children of UCPN (Maoist) leaders should discontinue educating their children in private schools.

“Some leaders are trying to enroll their kids in private schools on the pretext that this was being done for them by their relatives,” he said.

Speaking at an interaction organized by the Association of Revolutionary Journalists on Monday in Palpa, Sharma said contractors and the education mafia will be ready to enroll the children of the party´s leaders but that should not be allowed. Such children also should go to public schools like the children of ordinary people, he said.

“If they don´t oblige we will ask the party to take strong action against them,” he informed.

Sharma said that Moaist leaders will not be allowed to invest in private schools and colleges either and in case secret investments are made, they will expose them. He said their party has been discussing this issue as an agenda in itself. It was important that the Maoist party internalize this policy so that it would be easy to introduce and implement the same in other parties as well.

Sharma stressed that their student union will not let attempts to weaken public education and privatize it completely succeed. “If we follow Tribhuwan University´s educational calendar and strictly adhere to the dates for admissions, classes and examinations, it will be very easy to implement this plan,” he said.

Talking separately to Republica, Sharma said the student union had already submitted a memo to party Chairman Prachanda, who has promised to raise it as an agenda item at the party meeting.

Some leaders have already placed their children in public schools while those with children still in boarding schools are looking for suitable public schools, Sharma claimed.
"We can only exert moral pressure," he added.

In a different context, Sharma said that the student union is acting like a ´super glue´ to prevent the parent party from splitting.

Published on 2011-05-31 01:30:14

[Ret]

From now on, Maoist Party leaders will be solely guarded by the state security forces;

http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2011/06/01/top-story/maoists-decide-to-end-dual-security-system/222365.html
2 Jun 2011

[...] The PLA combatants deployed for the security of the Maoist leaders will be sent to cantonments and their weapons handed over to the Special Committee on the supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants.

Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force will take full responsibility of Maoist leaders’ security. [...]Changing alliances within the Party to sideline the chief?

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/headline/2011-06-01/bhattarai-baidya-duo-initiate-drive-against-nepal-maoists-chief-dahal
June 1, 2011

Bhattarai-Baidya duo initiate drive against Nepal Maoists chief Dahal

Telegraph Nepal
The ferocious of the bygone era must have begun to feel the heat from within.
Not only his political clout is taking a dangerous slide inside his own party but visible efforts are being made to completely corner him.
Charges are that Pushpa kamal Dahal aka Prachanda is a self centred man and that he doesn’t listen to the views of his own immediate colleagues and acts in a manner as if the party were a private club owned by him.
No wonder then Mohan Baidya Kiran and Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai, when enough had been already enough, have joined hands to cut down the wings of their party boss-Prachanda.
Differing poles unite.It happens in politics at times.
Both Baidya and Bhattarai have initiated a signature collection campaign to let Prachanda understand as to how much he was popular in the party and how many of his own colleagues were now with him. And also to make him known as to how his solo decisions hurt the sentiments of the party colleagues.
The signature campaign though is limited to the Maoist CA members.
But what if this practice spreads to other wings of the party? The likelihood remains intact.
Baidya has so far collected the authentic signature of more than hundred Maoist CA members whereas Bhattarai is talked to have already received the signature of some seventy five plus CA members.
So it must be approaching Hundred eighty or even more.
This does speak that Prachanda will soon be cornered if he doesn’t correct his high political ambitions and ignored the views pushed by his immediate colleagues.
Reports claim that Prachanda now commands just the strength of some sixty CA members which means that power equilibrium in the party has already taken a new turn which is against Prachanda.
Prachanda is sinking.
The general allegation against Prachanda is that he keeps himself at the centre stage and bulldozes the party’s decisions.
The idea is not to compete with Chairman Prachanda but only to press him to abide by the party’s decisions and chartered policies.
While Hisila Yami-Bhattarai is collecting the signatures on behalf of Babu Ram then Pampha Bhusal is assisting Baidya for the same purpose.
Gloomy days for Prachanda begins.
Too much ambition is injurious for political health, analysts believe.

==========

http://www.ekantipur.com/2011/06/02/editors-pick/consensus-govt-campaigning-to-make-bhattarai-pm-starts/335014.html
2 Jun 2011

Consensus Govt: Campaigning to make Bhattarai PM starts

KATHMANDU, JUN 02 -

With the three major parties agreeing in their five-point deal to form a national consensus government for what they call to ensure peace and constitution, some Maoist leaders have initiated campaign to make their Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai the next prime minister.

Some influential Maoist leaders supporting Bhattarai are busy lobbying in the party to make him a prime ministerial candidate. They claim even the Nepali Congress and Madhes-based parties are positive about making Bhattarai the next prime minister. The Bhattarai faction is preparing to raise this issue strongly in a UCPN (Maoist) Standing Committee meeting on Friday.

Leaders Dina Nath Sharma, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Devendra Poudel are consulting Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya’s faction to make Bhattarai the parliamentary party leader. Even the hardliner’s faction is positive about this in order to end Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s monopoly in the party. “As Dahal is taking unilateral decisions without sufficient discussion in the party, we are mulling a change in the parliamentary party leader,” a leader close to Baidya said.

Maoist Politburo member Devendra Poudel said that formation of a national consensus government under the leadership of Bhattarai has been confirmed. “Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has also okayed the change,” he said.

[RED DAVE]

Nepalese Maoism reveals its revolutionary program.

Q&A: Baburam Bhattarai, United Communist Party


Q&A: Baburam Bhattarai, United Communist Party

We don't look at the chinese as maoists'

Jyoti Malhotra / New Delhi May 29, 2011, 0:49 IST

Jyoti Malhotra met Vice-Chairman of the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Baburam Bhattarai in Kathmandu a few days ago, where he spoke frankly about India’s role in Nepal’s political crisis.

How do you look at the political situation in Nepal today?


In the Constituent Assembly elections held in April 2008, we made substantial gains. All the major political parties such as the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) realised they would have to ally with us. Unfortunately, after the elections, India became unhappy and it was very difficult for Delhi to accept our leadership. It took us four months to form the government.

Where does the problem lie?


The problem lies both with India and us. We were too ambitious... we thought we could do things on our own, while India underestimated our strength. This came to a head over the appointment of the army chief. We wanted to establish a civilian authority and so, we wanted former army chief Rookmangud Katuwal to resign. For two years, there was a deadlock in the completion of the peace process and writing of the Constitution.

So, what are the conclusions you have arrived at?


The conclusion is that we need the understanding of all the major political parties in Nepal such as the Nepali Congress and UML as well as New Delhi.

We must abide by the 12-point understanding brokered by India in 2005.

What is your view of the Indian establishment?


We can’t change our neighbour. We have to depend upon India, both economically and geographically. There is now some tacit understanding within our party in this regard. We have reached a certain stage in the life of our movement... India helped broker the 12-point understanding between the Maoists and the erstwhile monarchy in Nepal, and, subsequently, was even supportive of the people’s wishes for a democratic and republican Nepal. This was seen during the ‘Jan Andolan’, or the people’s movement, in April 2006.

But in the last few years, there was a great deal of mistrust between the Maoists and Delhi?


Yes. When our government was forced to resign after only 10 months of being in power, we suspected undue interference from New Delhi.

And, now?


India is a regional power. It has its own responsibilities. We have tried to mend fences (with India). There has been substantial progress in recent months. All sides, including the Nepali Congress, should take responsibility for what has happened.

Who should take the most responsibility?


The onus is on us. We want to undertake fundamental changes in society and, therefore, we should take more responsibility. Accordingly, we have taken the initiative to start a dialogue with the political parties, have a national unity government and begin the process of integrating the Maoist combatants into a paramilitary force or the Nepali army.

What kind of state do you want Nepal to be in?


The Nepali Congress wants a Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. We would like a federal state, keeping in mind the geo-political situation, as we are situated between two great powers, India and China, with substantial devolution of power to the provinces. However, along with federalism, we also want a presidential form of government. The problem was that in the post-conflict situation, we were the biggest party to have emerged in the elections, but this was abandoned in favour of a consensus.

Today, we still want a national unity government. We would like to extend the Constituent Assembly for another year. Even Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, the leader of UML, wants this government to continue in a national unity government. It will be good if all the parties come together, especially the Nepali Congress and the Maoists.

What should be done with the peace process?
We are ready to abide by the 12-point agreement brokered by India. The integration of the Maoist combatants into the army as well as the writing of the Constitution, both of which are stalled, should take place simultaneously. There should be no time frame. Both are part of the peace process.

How do you want to integrate the Maoist combatants into the army?


There are several modalities of integration. The democratisation of the old, royalist army and the integration of the combatants into a new force, either paramilitary or into the army itself, must happen. Nepal faces a unique situation, we have to find unique solutions.

Where does India fit in?


We want to have good relations with India. There may be ideological differences, but we have to persevere. Look at the history: less than three years after India brokered the 12-point agreement, the political understanding broke down. It failed on three fronts — army integration, power-sharing and writing the Constitution.

After relations soured, India thought we were pro-Chinese. But we don’t look at the Chinese as Maoists. There is a fundamental difference between the Maoists and what the Chinese have become today. (Once upon a time), they used to be ideologically driven, too.

The reality is that we have to deal with India. However, as Nepal is a sovereign power, we would like to deal with both India and China. How can we be anti-India? We may be against some policies of Indian government such as small border disputes, but we want good relations with India.

Do you welcome Indian investment?


Yes, of course. And, we agree that the initiative should be taken by Nepal.

In retrospect, what are the mistakes you think you may have made?


When we came to power, we should not have continued to act like an insurgent group. We could have suggested dialogue as a way to resolve issues, instead of making pronouncements from a public platform.http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/qa-baburam-bhattarai-united-communist-party/437066/

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

People´s revolt not ended yet: Baburam Bhattarai

KATHMANDU: Unified CPN-Maoist Vice-chairman Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai said the possibility for the people's revolt has not still been ended as the constitution writing and peace process has not been taken to logical conclusion.



Inaugurating the third convention of Jagaran Media Center in the Capital today, he said the regressive forces that were for dissolving Constituent Assembly were defeated once the five-point deal was signed. However, different forces who are against the current political change might try to bring back regression that the parties should be careful while selecting the new leadership for the government.

CPN-UML senior leader Prakash Jwala said the fossil of feudal system has still been there in the country. Advocator Pushpa Bhushal said Dalit communities and woman have still been the victim of different feudal practices.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=People%C2%B4s+revolt+not+end ed+yet%3A++Baburam+Bhattarai&NewsID=290543

RED DAVE

[Ret]

Maoists begin to disarm;


KOIRALA DAHAL MEETING
Dahal agrees to hand over weapons after categorization of combatants

KATHMANDU, June 6: UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed his readiness to hand over weapons in their possession to the government after categorization of the former combatants is concluded.

During his meeting with Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala at the latter´s residence in Maharajgunj Sunday morning, Chairman Dahal said the Maoists are all set to accomplish the task of categorizing the cantoned combatants within a month. “The arms can be handed over the government once we complete categorization of the former combatants,” said a source close to Koirala.

[...] Dahal´s pledge to hand over weapons comes amidst strong opposition from within the party. Maoist leaders from the hard-line camp have maintained that the task of integrating the combatants and handing over of the weapons should go side by side.

In a one-to-one meeting between the two leaders, Dahal assured Koirala that he is committed to taking the ongoing peace process to logical end despite protests from within his party. “I am in favor of taking the peace process to a logical end despite opposition from some leaders in the party,” an NC leader quoted Dahal as saying at the meeting. [...]

President Koirala also proposed Dahal to lead the new government after concluding the management of arms and combatants and also expressed readiness of his party to join the Maoist-led government formed after concluding the peace process. [...]

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=32020

6 June 2011

============

Dahal bids adieu to PLA security guards

KATHMANDU, June 6: In an emotionally-charged environment at his residence in Nayabazaar on Sunday, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal faced a tough time convincing the PLA personnel that the party has not deviated from the goals of revolution.

But the “rhetoric" that Dahal would not betray the “dreams of the martyrs” hardly assured the politically indoctrinated combatants, who were sent back by Maoists headquarters to the cantonments where they were registered by United Nations Mission in Nepal.

“The party has played frivolity on our lives and future. The leaders have kept us in the dark by playing dirty politics,” a participant quoted one Ramita, a member of the PLA from the seventh division, as saying at the closed-door function organized to bid farewell to the PLA personnel. [...]

The PLA personnel stated that they would abide by the party´s decisions, but stated that they felt bad for being considered “redundant”.

“We think we no longer enjoy the party´s trust on us. After so many years we are no longer in the service of the party,” stated a commander at the function.

The Maoist chairman stated at the gathering that he had no option other than ending the dual security to take other political parties into confidence.

The combatants, however, stated that they have doubts if the party would fulfill the dreams of those “martyred, injured and disappeared during the People´s War.” A combatant stated that he felt the aim of revolution has suddenly received a blow after he submitted his weapons at Nayabazaar.

“I felt as if someone suddenly snatched my weapons that were gathered through the sacrifices of many of my colleagues. I don´t know why I felt so. Perhaps, I felt so because I had to lay down the arms before realizing the goals of revolution,” said Narayan Adhikari who was in the security of party spokesperson Dinanath Sharma. [...]

The Baidya faction has stated that the party´s decision to end the security being provided to senior leaders by the PLA is tantamount to surrender.

“These leaders damaged our lives. They traded our blood, sweat and sacrifice for money and power. But they will not be at peace as they have betrayed the martyrs,” said a commander who is close to Baidya.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=32044

[Ret]

Not so long ago a promoter of 'Prachanda Path', Baidya now finds that Dahal is deviant and corrupt;

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=32221

11 Jun 2011

18 'deviations' of Chairman Dahal

POST B BASNET
KATHMANDU, June 11: In a clear manifestation of the widening intra-party rifts, the hard-line faction of the UCPN (Maoist) has accused Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal of serious ideological and moral “deviations” and launched a campaign against him inside the party.

The hard-line faction, led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, has recently circulated a document among the party rank and file, which outlines 18 “deviations” of Dahal. The document, a copy of which has been obtained by Republica, is being circulated among the cadres of the party´s hard-line faction down to district level committees and also the party´s chapters in various countries.

“On the political front, [Dahal] is seen moving toward rightist reformism and national capitulationism from his centrist oppertunitism,” states the second point of the document.

The relations between Baidya and Dahal have soured after the latter defected to the line of peace and constitution last June, deferring the official line of revolt and state capture.

The document, entitled “Problems of deviations in chairman comrade”, has charged Dahal with financial irregularities and misuse of resources.

“On the issue of financial discipline, [Dahal] is seen tilted toward corruption. [Dahal] is seen having the tendency of doing anything -- both moral and immoral -- for the sake of power, money and prestige.[Dahal] has deliberately left the party without an accounting system and misused financial means and resources in an individualistic way,” states point no 18 of the document.

On the front of party organization, the party hard-line faction has accused Dahal of “self-centric individualistic tendency”, intolerance toward those holding dissent and using his power to silence their voices.

The document alleges that the chairman has developed a “fascist tendency” [...]

[RED DAVE]

Prachanda makes a move


Prachanda supporters meet to discuss party affairs

LALITPUR: Leaders and cadres close to UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' organised a meeting in Pulchowk of Lalitpur on Saturday.

The leaders close to Prachanda claimed that the meeting aimed at strengthening the party organisation and discuss its future strategy.

UCPN-Maoist secretary Post Bahadur Bogati 'Diwakar' said discussion was held to strengthen the party and make future strategy.

The meeting that continued amidst a strict security for two hours is also said to have discussed over the progress on the PLA integration.

Though the meeting was claimed to be of workers closed to the party, senior leaders and representatives of all departments of the party were also present on the occasion.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Prachanda+supporters+meet+to +discuss+party+affairs&NewsID=291404

RED DAVE

[Ret]

More from Telegraph Nepal's political gossip columnist, generally a mix of fact, gossip and speculation. The Party's 3-way rivalry has constantly shifting opportunist tactical alliances; now Bhattarai, with a reputation as more India-friendly, is being squeezed to renounce this. Knowing that much of his political power comes from his closeness to Indian diplomacy - and with anti-India sentiment still strong within and outside the Party - this is a potentially tricky situation for him to negotiate;

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/headline/2011-06-11/nepal-maoist-dilemma:-is-india-principle-enemy-

11 Jun 2011

Nepal Maoist Dilemma: Is India Principle Enemy?

Telegraph Nepal

“If the so-called Maoists’ ideologue Babu Ram Bhattarai recognizes India as the principle enemy of the party then he could be easily elevated to the post of Prime Minister”.

Between frying pan and fire. Options limited.

If Bhattarai rejects the proposal as it is-which is highly probable, he may have to disregard his personal political ambitions but will also prove his strong affinity to India that he has, analysts presume.

In the post monarchy Nepal, establishing close ties with India at the personal level is taken as a treachery against motherland. Yet, at the country’s level there should be no debate that India was indeed a close friend of Nepal. Conditions apply.

Great negative achievement for India after the 2006 change!

The panel led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is planning to forward the proposal to the perusal of Bhattarai panel at the Central Committee meeting set to begin next week.

“We have no objection to elevate Bhattarai Dai (brother) as the country’s next prime minister but that will happen only if he recognizes that the party’s prime contradiction lay with India.” Soft arm twisting.

So said Gopal Kirati of the Dahal panel talking to Annapurna post June 11, 2011.

By the way, outgoing Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood is quite familiar with Mr. Kirati.

Sood had an unfriendly encounter with the Maoists cadres led by Kirati in Solukhumbu district, if he recalls.

“We would very much want to cooperate with both the neighbors, China and India. With India however, until all unequal treaties stand abrogated we will continue to struggle with the southern neighbor. If Bhattarai dai accepts this fact we have no objection. The question is whether Bhattarai is much more forward looking than Jhal Nath”, said Kirati.

Talking to Nayapatrika Daily Kirati adds, “It will be far better if he accepts this proposal at the policy level. If he rejects then what is the difference in being a Bhattarai and the others.” Perhaps Kirati was pointing figures at the Communists of the sort of K.P. Oli and Madhav Kumar Nepal.

To recall, in the Palungtar extended plenum of the party central committee Bhattarai had denied accepting India as the principle enemy. He wrote a note of dissent then.

Similarly, party general secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ who is also portrayed as the prime ministerial candidate by Mohan Baidya Kiran Panel, according to the report, has assured that he will not oppose Bhattarai’s elevation.

Badal’s only condition before Bhattarai is he should accept India as the enemy.

Conditions apply.

Interesting debate that it is, say critics, much more interesting than the short-term debate the country had on whether to retain or overthrow monarchy.

Monarchy’s ouster was a minute affair because India had already “located” its principal enemy that was Nepal Monarchy which was accepted by the Nepalese parties unconditionally.

And, on the other hand, Bhattarai panel as was expected of it has retaliated in an angered mood to the strange condition forwarded by the Dahal panel.

Politburo member Ram Karki opines that recognizing a neighbor as the principle enemy means inviting war.

“If we fail to form a consensus government in a week then there is no possibility of consensus at all. It will adversely affect peace and constitutional processes,” he adds.

“This is the conspiracy to foil Bhattarai’s premiership prospect”, another leader close to Bhattarai camp adds.

“Whether India is our principle enemy or not, the issue demands debate. However, we cannot compromise our ideologies to assume the post of the prime minister”, the leader concludes.

[RED DAVE]

Baidhya‚ Dahal to hold talks to remove irritants

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The two top leaders of the Unified CPN-Maoist, Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidhya today decided to initiate talks to resolve their differences. 



Both the top leaders have been leading separate factions in the party, besides separate factions led by the two other vice-chairmen Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha.



Due to factionalism, Prachanda has failed to convene committee meetings and has been postponing the meetings called earlier. 



Dahal and Baidhya met at the former’s residence in Nayabazar. Minister for Information and Communication Agni Prasad Sapkota, who reached Dahal’s residence after the meeting, said the meeting was fruitful, as the two agreed to begin discussions to end factionalism.



Sapkota said the meeting of the party’s central committee would be convened on the scheduled date, June 22. He, however, said the party would not call the standing committee meeting now.



Leaders close to Baidhya claimed that he told Dahal that he would help end factionalism in the party only if the chairman was ready to keep the revolutionary spirit of the party intact and provide respectable space to all the leaders of the party. 



The source also claimed that Dahal had agreed to correct his mistakes as outlined by Baidhya’s faction.



Regarding the scheduled central committee meeting, standing committee member Dev Prasad Gurung, however, said the meeting had no significance, as the chairman was taking decisions unilaterally.



“Even the mandate of 7,000 leaders and cadres at the Palungtar plenum was changed within no time. What can we expect from the central committee meeting?” wondered Dev Gurung.(emph added)

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Baidhya%26sbquo%3B+Dahal+to+ hold++talks+to+remove+irritants&NewsID=292455

RED DAVE

[Cleansing Conspiratorial Revolutionary Flame]

'Nepal to offer shelter to South Asia’s battered gays

by TNN

KATHMANDU: After organising beauty pageants for gays and transgenders, followed by extravagant same sex weddings, Nepal will now move to more sombre issues, becoming the first country in South Asia to offer shelter to battered gays.

While several Nepali NGOs have been running shelters for women, who are the victims of domestic violence, and survivors of trafficking, Blue Diamond Society, Nepal’s pioneering gay rights organisation, is set to become the only NGO in South Asia to offer a shelter to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBTs) who face violence in their own countries due to their different sexual orientations.

The LGBT Centre for South Asia, the first of its kind, is coming up in Kathmandu’s Dhumbarahi area. The five-storey building will have conferencing facilities, a theatre, a clinic and a shelter for members of the community who face violence and death threats in their own countries.

“In countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan non-conformity is taboo and members of the community face violence and even the possibility of death,” says Sunil Babu Pant, the founder of Blue Diamond Society and Nepal’s only openly gay MP. “We had a pair of teenaged girls from Kolkata run away from home and come to us for help. One was from the Hindu community and one Muslim and there was additional parental anger. The shelter is meant for persecuted people like them.”

In a gesture that has endeared it to Nepal’s gay community, the republic’s first Maoist government in 2008, headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, made budgetary allocations for them and the land for the centre was bought with the money – NRS 25-30 lakh a year. Further assistance came from the Danish and Norwegian governments. Norway donated $150,000 for the construction of two buildings after Blue Diamond Society, then working from rented offices in Kathmandu, faced regular trouble with landlords, who threw them out under pressure from neighbours.

The last eviction caused deep distress especially as Blue Diamond Society was then also running a hospice for gays with HIV/AIDS. Pant described how the sick patients had to be moved on stretcher. Currently, there are 20-30 people at any given time in the hospice, with some of them being at the terminal stage and disowned by their families.

Pant says the centre should be up and running in the next 15 months – provided they manage to raise the rest of the money needed. Currently, Blue Diamond Society is seeking to raise $150-170,000 to complete the project.'
http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/benefits-of-revolution-nepal-builds-shelter-for-gay-men/

'Kathmandu: The first public lesbian wedding in Nepal, held this week under the aegis of the republic’s gay rights icon Sunil Babu Pant, has inspired the gay communities in West Bengal and Kerala to seek help to host the two states’ first public gay rallies next month.

Pant, who is also Nepal’s only openly gay Member of Parliament, founded the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) in 2002 to spearhead the gay rights movement in the then conservative Hindu kingdom where homosexuals faced ostracisation, rape and murderous attacks.

BDS organised Nepal’s gays, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals, providing them legal aid, financial support and counselling.

For almost eight years now, it has been hosting an annual gay pride in Kathmandu, a rally in which the community earlier took part wearing masks to hide their identities but is now coming increasingly out in the open.

Pant, who has lobbied for the political parties to field gays during elections and protect their rights in the new constitution, is now being sought by the organisers of similar gay prides in Kerala and West Bengal for guidance.
Deepa Vasudeva, an activist living in Kerala and working with Sahayatrika, an organisation to promote the rights of lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders, says she is a “huge fan” of Pant.

“We are organising a queer pride right now in Kerala on July 2,” Vasudeva wrote to Pant, inviting him to be a guest speaker. “Your credentials as an MP with a leftist party in Nepal as well as an openly gay man would be most impressive in Kerala. We are generally trying to find speakers who can help us to gain acceptance and mainstream the issue.”

The computer engineer has also been approached by activists from West Bengal, who is planning the state’s first gay pride and pride-related events from July 2-17.

Pant’s work is known in the US and Britain, especially after he hosted two same sex marriages-for a gay couple, one of whom was from India and the other from Britain, and a lesbian American couple.

India’s gay community became better acquainted with the lawmaker and BDS after New Delhi-based NGO Crea held a conference in Kathmandu in April – Count me in – bringing together South Asia’s marginalised communities.'
http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/nepals-first-lesbian-wedding/

Progressive aspects of the Nepali Revolution in terms of LGBT Liberation.

[Ret]

Showdown on Friday;

Maoists holding crucial CC Friday

POST B BASNET
KATHMANDU, June 24: Amidst growing factionalism and tussles for power, the UCPN (Maoist) is scheduled to hold a crucial CC meeting on Friday that is expected to chart out the party´s course in the peace process.

The party is holding the meeting of the office bearers and then of the standing committee in a bid to minimize the differences among the three factions led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya and Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai respectively. Party insiders say the meeting is historic as the party stands at a very critical phase of its history and the peace process.

While Dahal and Bhattarai share the line of peace and constitution, Baidya and Bhattarai have forged a tactical alliance to cut Dahal down to size.

The Baidya faction has so far opposed Dahal´s proposal to hold a general convention to settle the internal contradiction over the party line and formulate a mechanism to hold debates on the ideological issues for now.

“All the issues are not settled by majority votes,” says leader Kul Prasad KC who is close to Baidya. [...]

Full article here; http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=32703How the hardliners got outflanked;

24 Jun 2011

Mergers the real game-changer in UCPN(Maoist)

POST B BASNET /KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, June 24: With the UCPN (Maoist) preparing to endorse the line of peace and constitution, the party hardliners have been left with very few cards to counter the party establishment, which they say is deviating from the ideals of revolution.

Backed by Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai, party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal commands a comfortable majority in the CC to endorse the line, parrying stiff opposition put up by the hardliners.

But, that was not the power equation in the party till three years back. The campaign for unification with fringe leftist parties in the recent years turned the table against the hardliners led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya.

"The new political developments have proven that the chairman wanted to secure a majority so that he can deviate from the ideology and prevent the party from achieving the goals of revolution," says Hari Bhakta Kandel from the Baidya camp.

Baidya has strong support from the core Maoists who devoted their lives for the party´s cause. Most of those injured during the insurgency and the kin of the deceased support Baidya.

As the party stands at a very critical phase in history, the hardliners find themselves in an uncomfortable minority, and many of them are recalling those days when their faction was the largest in almost all party committees. [...]

Full article here; http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=32702

(http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=32702)

[RED DAVE]

Rightists to be blamed for all evils: Dahal

TIKA R PRADHAN

KATHMANDU: Unified CPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal today accused the ‘rightist reactionary forces’, including the Nepali Congress, of not letting peace and constitution-drafting processes move forward. 

At the central committee meeting that kicked off today, Dahal said the party must remain united to defeat those who were for using up three months obtained by the parties for the completion of peace and constitution-drafting processes doing nothing. However, Dahal sought suggestions from the CC for resolving the conflict within the party and crisis facing the country. The CC meeting, however, was put off at least for three days.



According to a CC member, Chairman Dahal also proposed changing the entire team representing party in the government to ensure proportional representation — a major demand of Vice-chairman Mohan Baidhya faction. Maheswor Dahal, a CC member, said members demanded party’s financial details of the last 20 years. They also said why the party kept mum on the issue of journalist Khilanath Dhakal.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Rightists+to+be+blamed+for+a ll+evils%3A+Dahal+&NewsID=293068&a=3

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Maoist power struggle impedes peace process

REPUBLICA – KATHMANDU, June 26: The intra-party power struggle within the UCPN (Maoist) has seriously impeded the progress of integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.

A meeting of Special Committee for Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist Combatants scheduled for Sunday was put off at the eleventh hour after the Maoist members of the committee expressed their inability to attend the meeting.

This is the second time in a week that the scheduled meeting of Special Committee meant to expedite the integration and rehabilitation process was put off after Maoists members did not turn up.

The UCPN (Maoist) has two members -- Barshaman Pun and Janardan Sharma -- in the Special Committee headed by Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal. Sharma has not attended the committee meeting for two weeks accusing top leaders of the party of making the Special Committee their ´puppet´.

Special Committee members from NC and UML said they have failed to achieve significant progress with regard to the peace process after the extension of the Constituent Assembly (CA) term. “We have failed to achieve any significant progress in the peace process. The core issues remain the same as before,” said Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, a member of Special Committee from NC.

Asked if the intra-party struggle within the Maoists had anything do with the dismal progress in peace process, Dr Mahat said, “I do not rule out the impact of intra-party power struggle within the Maoists for slow progress in the peace process.”

Three major political parties -- Maoist, NC and the UML -- had agreed to accomplish the “fundamental tasks” of peace process within the extended term of the CA.

So far, the Maoists have partially ended dual security provided to party senior leaders and the Special Committee representatives have reached all the 28 cantonments across the country. Likewise, the Special Committee has also begun recruiting surveyors.

But the parties continue to remain at odds on issues of integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants. “We continue to have serious differences with the Maoists on key issues including modality, number and rank harmonization of Maoist combatants to be integrated in the security agencies,” added Dr Mahat.http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=32817

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Parties treading water on peace front

Maoist Chairman Dahal's decisions in coming days to shape course of future events

Added At: 2011-06-29 12:25 AM

TIKA R PRADHAN

KATHMANDU: Unified CPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal today urged Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal to make better moves to conclude the peace process.



“The prime minister and Dahal mainly focused their talks on why the peace and constitution-drafting processes have failed to gain momentum even after one month since the five-point deal was signed,” said PM Khanal’s press adviser Surya Thapa.

“Dahal, however, assured the prime minister that the ongoing discussions within his party would not halt the peace process and he would intensify dialogue within his party and with other parties.

”

The duo also discussed combatant management, peace process calendar, besides Cabinet expansion and budget. 

Maoist Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha claimed that army integration has been stalled because Nepali Congress objected to the Nepali Army’s proposal. NC had demanded a package deal, said Shrestha.



With serious objection from Janardan Sharma, a Maoist member of Special Committee (for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants), its meeting 

has been stalled and therefore the parties have formed a 

taskforce including Vice-chairman Shrestha in the place of Sharma.

Dahal’s decisions in the coming days will shape the course of the country’s future events related to peace process and the constitution. But that will be a fine kettle of fish — Dahal will either have to influence the party’s Central Committee to revise its policy decisions or bulldoze his own decisions regarding the integration of Maoist combatants.



During the brief CC meeting on Friday last week, Dahal had listed a range of issues to be discussed and asked for a few more days for the standing committee to sort them out.

“Our worry is that the standing committee has not been discussing these issues,” said Dev Gurung. 

The April 28 CC meeting of the party had taken policy decisions to either go for a mixed model of integration or the creation of a separate force after formulating a national defence policy.



Dahal, however, was able to get the modality — offered by the Nepali Army — endorsed by the standing committee meeting on May 19 meeting.



Dahal’s proposal, however, did not figure in the five-point deal on the night of May 

28, and it has allowed dissenting voices within the UCPN-M to hark back to the CC meeting’s decision. 

“Both the idea of disarming of combatants and individual entry based on existing standards are unthinkable,” Gurung told The Himalayan Times. “We want to follow the spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Accord and the Interim Constitution.

”

Gurung predicted that due to extreme pressure from the party, including his own supporters, Chairman Dahal could also opt to retreat from his decision. However, Vice-chairman Shrestha claimed the party would further consolidate party’s latest decision on army integration but added that the party would never accept integration on individual basis. The idea of national sovereignty continues to play an influential role in the ongoing debates within the Maoist party but almost all leaders understand gravity of the situation and agree that outstanding issues related to both peace and constitution-drafting processes should be resolved in the next two months. 

Meanwhile the five-point pact monitoring committee is holding a meeting at 2 pm tomorrow.http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Parties+treading+water+on+pe ace+front&NewsID=293565

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Nepal braces for Dalai Lama's birthday celebrations
Kathmandu, July 2 (IANS) Almost four dozen Tibetans have been taken in custody as Nepal Police intensified a crackdown on the diaspora in Kathmandu to prevent any public celebration of the birthday of their exiled leader, the Dalai Lama, Wednesday.

While the former god-king of Tibet will be in the US, his followers in Nepal are planning special prayers and other rituals to celebrate the Nobel Peace laureate's 76th birthday, an exercise that may be under even more restrictions this year.

This year, China recalled its ambassador to Nepal, Qiu Guohong, before the envoy had completed his full term in Kathmandu amidst speculation that Beijing was unhappy at the way anti-China protests had continued in Nepal.

Qiu's successor Yang Houlan, who arrived last month, has already been active in meeting Nepal's Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal and the chief of the Maoist party, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.

The Nepali leaders have assured him that Nepal remains committed to the "One China" policy that regards Tibet as an integral part of the communist republic and would not allow Nepal's soil to be used for any kind of anti-China activity.

On Tuesday, as part of the preventive measures, Nepal Police arrested 39 Tibetans from Boudha in the capital, an area housing shrines sacred to Buddhists and home to a large number of Tibetans, including monks.

Though the men were ostensibly arrested in an anti-gambling raid, and seven were released later, rights group International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said in a press statement that there were still 47 Tibetans in detention.

This includes a group of 12 people who were arrested June 21 when they were holding a candlelight vigil both in honour of the Dalai Lama's upcoming birthday and to express solidarity with Tibetan demonstrators in Lhasa.

On Sunday, in another sign of greater restrictions, police prevented followers from publicly celebrating the 27th birthday of another Tibetan religious leader, the Karmapa. It was the first time that the Karmapa's birthday celebrations were disrupted in Nepal.

The organisers said they were told to limit the programme within the small courtyard of a monastery and not to parade photos of the Karmapa and the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan national flag or banners. They were also asked not to sing the Tibetan national anthem.

Hundreds of riot police fanned out to the areas in Kathmandu valley where a large number of Tibetans live and prevented monks and nuns from reaching the celebration sites.

The ICT said over 50 policemen were stationed at the monastery to prevent the display of the Dalai Lama's photos and Tibetan flags. Three Nepalese intelligence personnel reportedly entered the monastery hall where prayers were being held and questioned the organisers.

The INGO quoted an official of the Himalayan Buddhist Association, Jigdral Sherpa, as saying that with Nepal being the Buddha's birth place, the curb on celebrating the Buddhist leader's birthday was a serious abuse of religious freedom.(emph added)

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=248759

Way to build solidarity with the oppressed people of Tibet.

(Ducks before defenders of Chinese imperialism in Tibet start tossing turds.)

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Maoist SC hints at joining govt

KATHMANDU: The UCPN-Maoist Standing Committee on Tuesday hinted that it would give green signal to the party leadership to join the government, keeping aside the earlier stances of implementation of seven-point pact made between UML and Maoist chairmen on the eve of prime ministerial elections.

The party had held several rounds of meeting with the CPN-UML yesterday to discuss the cabinet expansion and the pact implementation.

The Standing Commitee meeting was held at the party central office, Koteshwor this morning.

As many SC members and senior leaders are outside the Valley, the SC could not take a concrete decision on taking part in the government, according to Maoist Vice Chairman Narayankaji Shrestha.

He further said that the party would take a vital decision at next Standing Committee meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday.http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Maoist+SC+hints+at+joining+g ovt&NewsID=278226

RED DAVE

[Ret]

Rival factions are now reported to be grassing each other up to the Party and to the cops;

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=33277

Red sandalwood smuggling raises storm in UCPN-M
POST B BASNET
KATHMAMANDU, July 9: The UCPN (Maoist) on Friday formed a three-member panel to investigate into charges of smuggling red sandalwood from Nepal to China that Maoist factions have leveled against one another.

The panel headed by party standing committee member Amik Serchan was formed after a group of leaders led by State Minister for Physical Planning and Works Devi Khadka submitted a memorandum to the party central office on Friday demanding disciplinary action against Minister for Information and Communication Agni Sapkota for “conspiring” to incriminate her husband Raj Kumar Shrestha in the illegal trade.

Party Standing Committee members Barshaman Pun and Dinanath Sharma are other members of the panel that will submit its report to the party leadership within seven days.

The group led by Khadka, which is close to Maoist Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai, has accused Sapkota, who is close to party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, of running a red sandalwood “smuggling racket” and using the name of Shrestha, who is also a lawmaker from the UCPN (Maoist), to “pressurize the police to let the illegal business go unchecked”.

Acting on a tip-off, police had seized 1453kg of red sandalwood from Tatopani VDC of Sindhupalchowk on July 2. “When we found Sapkota defaming Shrestha, we collected information about the sandalwood storage in the village in Sindhupalchowk and informed the police,” said a leader from the group.

Shrestha said the party should immediately take action against Sapkota. “The party should either take action against Sapkota or me. We will wait for the panel´s report and chart out our plan of action accordingly,” Shrestha told Republica.

Shrestha has also accused Sapkota of spreading the rumor that he was arrested by the police while gambling in a casino in Kathmandu. “You know about our party´s situation. These rumors are a result of line struggle in the party,” he said.

As internal factionalism intensifies, members of the rival factions of the party have been openly accusing each other of doing illegal business and violating the party disciplines, and fighting in the public.

Minister Sapkota could not be reached out for comments. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has banned the trade in the red sandalwood.

There are widespread media reports that the Maoists are involved in the smuggling of red sandalwood that fetches handsome income for leaders.

The precious wood is smuggled from South India to Tibet via Nepali territory. Various groups get involved in the smuggling of sandalwood.

According to the police, the first group transports the wood from South India to Nepal-India border, the second group transports it to Kathmandu, the third group from Kathmandu to Tatopani on the Nepal-China border and the fourth group sells it in Tibet. It is said that each kg of red sandalwood costs Rs 9,000 in Tibet.

The red sandalwood has religious and medicinal values and is also used in making perfumes.

Published on 2011-07-09 00:00:01 [my emphasis]

[Ret]

Left and right of Party now unite against the Chief. With Bhattarai previously portrayed by pro-maoists as the counter-revolutionary faction and the left, represented by Baidya, as their great remaining pure revolutionary hope - will the western pro-maoists now support this coalition?

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/headline/2011-07-13/hard-pressed-dahal-likely-to-propose-bhattarai-for-nepal-pm-post

13 Jul 2011
Hard pressed Dahal likely to propose Bhattarai for Nepal PM post

The so-called unholy and apolitical alliance between Vice chairmen duo Mohan Baidya Kiran and Babu Ram Bhattarai of Unified Maoists’ Party has come to the conclusion that if Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal sticks on to power and fails to deliver to their demand for decentralization, he will eventually be forced to fit into a ceremonial role.
Some 76 leaders of both Baidya and Bhattarai panels had for the first time held an open meeting together wherein they had made the decision.
A similar meeting was held between the two panels a year back somewhere in Kathmandu but it was kept a guarded secret.
The meeting was held at a hotel in Lalitpur, July 12, 2011.
“If chairman does not yield to our demand we will certainly limit him to a ceremonial role”, a leader who had participated in the meeting said.
General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa and his close chums had also participated in the meeting.
Thapa who until the other day preferred not to join any camps in the party has decided to tie up with the anti-chairman alliance. Thapa of late was not happy with the Chairman because as the party general secretary he had not been allowed to exercise his power by the Chairman, it is reported.
“Several times in the past decisions have been made to allot power and distribute workload between the party top leadership, but they have never been materialized,” says C.P. Gajurel and adds, “We have felt that the party is distancing itself away quickly from our chartered goals.”
Babu Ram Bhattarai speaking at the meeting clarified his position in this manner, “It does not mean that we (Baidya and Bhattarai) cannot join hands because we share different beliefs. Nor he (Baidya) ever said that he was against peace and constitution? I have also never said that peace and constitution are my final goals”.
“We have failed so far because we have failed to correctly distribute our task (between the leadership)”, also said Bhattarai.
Baidya resolutely said, “It was indeed that opposite poles have united. We have joined hands because we need to bring to an end to the authoritarian rule of the party chairman”.
“We also made the mistake by making him much powerful. He thus became arrogant”, said Baidya.
It is also reported that the Baidya-Bhattarai panel have collected signatures of more than 150 (239 total) parliamentarians to oust Chairman Dahal from the post of the leader of parliamentary delegation. Similarly, 61 central committee members (Baidya: 40, Baburam 25) of the 148 members in the central committee have supported the signature campaign.
“Few of them did not sign because the signature campaign was initiated to elevate Bhattarai as Prime Minister and Baidya as party chairman. We later changed the language”, a Maoists leader told the media.
To push Chairman in minority, some 75 central committee members of the total must support the signature campaign. With General Secretary Thapa in favor if Baidya-Bhattarai panel it is likely that the target will be shortly reached, claims another leader.
Devendra Poudel of Bhattarai panel and Dev Gurung of Baidya panel are assigned with the duty to collect the signatures.
In the party steering committee, Chairman Dahal is already in a minority.
On the other hand, an internally shaken but yet cunning Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is planning to address the demands of the opposing camps in a tricky manner. Whether his intrigue this time around will work or not remains yet to be observed. Dahal’s plan is to informally hand over his role as the parliamentary delegation head to Bhattarai. He will present the plan in the central committee meeting to begin today. However, it is not still certain whether the CA meeting will be held as scheduled.
“The proposal addresses concerns of all factions as it does justice and unites all”, a leader of the Dahal faction says and adds, “Chairman’s proposal is to restructure the government and to informally award the parliamentary and Constituent Assembly roles to Bhattarai. The chairman has already accepted to nominate Bhattarai as party’s prime ministerial candidate.”
Meanwhile all factions become more integrated into the governmental gravy train;

Khadga Bahadur Bishwokarma is a revolutionary. He was a leader in the west during the ‘People’s War’, and became a minister of social welfare and children when the Maoists joined the interim government. Recently, he has been an active campaigner for the Mohan Vaidya ‘Kiran’ faction, which believes that the changes of 2006 were insufficient and there is a need for drastic overhaul of the state structure. Bishwokarma, also known as Prakanda in the party, joined the Jhalanath Khanal government as minister for civil aviation. And last week, he appointed Manrupi Shahi as the chairperson of the Nepal Airlines Corporation. Shahi has pointed to corruption and weak internal management as the principal causes for the decay in NAC, and pledged to reform it.
Recently, he has been an active campaigner for the Mohan Vaidya ‘Kiran’ faction, which believes that the changes of 2006 were insufficient and there is a need for drastic overhaul of the state structure. Bishwokarma, also known as Prakanda in the party, joined the Jhalanath Khanal government as minister for civil aviation. And last week, he appointed Manrupi Shahi as the chairperson of the Nepal Airlines Corporation. Shahi has pointed to corruption and weak internal management as the principal causes for the decay in NAC, and pledged to reform it.
While Shahi may surprise everyone and be an effective manager, few are betting that he will be able to revive the NAC. As someone with no experience in the sector, it is unlikely that the new chairperson will be able to understand the functioning of NAC, grasp the overall trends in international aviation, the problems ailing the public enterprise including that of airline acquisition and revival of flying routes, and compete both with competent domestic private airlines and international air carriers which are preferred by most Nepalis when they have to fly.
Prakanda’s decision, however, does not come as a surprise. Notwithstanding the revolutionary rhetoric, he has followed the footsteps of almost all his predecessors in appointing an aide to head a public institution. What it confirms instead is the successful ‘mainstreaming’ of the Maoists into the old political system that evolved after 1990 where political parties collectively destroyed the state. Girija Prasad Koirala started the trend, the rest have imbibed the principle of seeing the public sector has a resource to be exploited and milked. [...] (My emphasis) http://www.ekantipur.com/2011/07/13/oped/milked-to-death/337301.html

[Ret]

The 'Prachanda Path' of the great 'revolutionary' 'communist' leader, long revered by western pro-maoists as the essence of anti-imperialism, leads down some strange roads;


Buddha brings together Paras‚ Prachanda

KATHMANDU: What does Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, chairman of Nepal's Maoist party that fought a 10-year war ending in the death of over 17,000 people, have in common with Paras Bir Bikram Shah, the republic's ponytailed playboy former crown prince known for letting fly with his gun and fists first and asking questions later?

And the unexpected answer is: the Buddha, the apostle of peace and the Middle Path, reported the website of the Times of India on Wednesday.

It sounds incredible yet the two, who were sworn enemies during the "People's War" that sought to abolish monarchy in Nepal, now share a common platform. Both are co-chairs of the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation, a little-known organisation from Beijing that hit the headlines worldwide this month after coming up with a $3 billion grandiose plan to develop Lumbini, the Buddha's birthplace, into a Buddhist "Mecca".

The Foundation managed to evade embarrassing limelight so far as its web site is in Chinese with a promise that the English version will be ready soon. However, the China Daily lets slip who the joint chairmen are: Steven Clark Rockefeller Jr, a fifth-generation member of the Rockefeller family; Jack Rosen, chairman of the American Jewish Congress, Leon H Charney, a real estate tycoon and former US presidential adviser; Prachanda and Paras. [My emphasis]

According to a local media report on Wednesday, the Chinese web site also describes Paras, who left Nepal in a huff for Singapore in 2008 after the Hindu kingdom became a secular republic, as the crown prince of Nepal. The ways of the Foundation have been mysterious. In March, Prachanda went on a clandestine visit to Singapore, ostensibly to attend a programme hosted by the Foundation. The visit led to speculation that he had gone there to meet Chinese authorities over the fluid political situation in Nepal. The previous year, Prachanda had gone to Malaysia on the invitation of the same organisation. [...]
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Buddha+brings+together+Paras %26sbquo%3B+Prachanda&NewsID=297153

[Ret]

Control of the Maoist-dominated unions, with its lucrative income for the dominant Party factions, remains a hotly contested issue;

http://www.ekantipur.com/2011/07/31/top-story/dahal-close-jammarkatel-faction-thrashes-bhattarai-close-antuf-treasurer/338335.html
Dahal-close Jammarkatel faction thrashes Bhattarai-close ANTUF Treasurer

KAMAL DEV BHATTARAI
KATHMANDU, JUL 31 - Treasurer of the Everest Hotel chapter of UCPN (Maoist) affiliated All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) Bikram Rai has been thrashed by the ANTUF faction of Salikram Jammarkatel in Babarmahal, Kathmandu, Maoist Central Committee member Kumar Poudel claimed on Sunday.
Jammarkatel is considered close to Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal while Rai is close to Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai.
Injured from the attack, Rai has been admitted to the Kantipur Hospital in Tinkune, Kathmandu.
In a bid to patch up the differences between the three factions of the Maoists trade union, a National Convention Organising Committee (NOOC) of the ANTUF has been formed under the coordination of Maoist Secretary Post Bahadur Bogati.

[mosfeld]

On the current situation in Nepal and the challenge before the Maoists

Participation in the Constitutional Assembly process, and in government, in Nepal has been used by the UCPN (Maoist) leadership to liquidate the revolutionary nature of the party and sink it in the morass of parliamentarism. For quite some time now, this has been the concrete political manifestation of revisionism, of the derailment of the party from the path of New Democratic Revolution. It has now been taken to a new depth with the recent appointment of Dr. Baburam Bhattarrai as the Prime Minister of Nepal through a deal with the Madheshi parties, known agents of the Indian expansionists. Following a script already given by the reactionaries and endorsed by the UCPN (Maoist) leadership, the new government promptly handed over the keys of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) stored weapons. Severely drained of its fighting qualities through the policies followed by the leadership of the UCPN(Maoist), it is now being prepared for formal elimination, to finish off the last remaining, and one of the most important, achievements of the 10 years of People’s War. Thus the people will have nothing to bank on and will be helplessly thrown back to the reactionary wolves.

10 years of heroic war of the masses and their immense sacrifices gave the tiny organisation CPN (Maoist) international fame and recognition. Once the emerging shining armour in the glorious history of the international communist movement, this party is now reduced to being ‘just another petty political party’, shamelessly bargaining for some space in the ruling class benches. Today the very leaders of this organisation are trading sacrifices and pains of the revolutionary masses for a few ministerial posts and recognition from the Indian expansionists, in the service of the imperialists. Every step taken by them is meant to prove to their aakkas (masters) that they are genuinely committed to abandoning the path of revolution.

When communists turn colour and rot the stench is far worse. The slogan ‘serve the masses’ is converted to ‘serve the imperialist-expansionist masters’. As the class nature of the party changes, it acquires the ‘most favoured status’ from the ruling classes. The veil of minimum bourgeois morality too is shorn off. Shameless degeneration, craving for consumer goods and luxuries replace communist plain living, revolutionary self-respect and modesty. Revisionists are the seeds of reactionaries and slaves of the imperialists in the revolutionary ranks. In no time they infect the whole organisation, decapitate its ideological strength and denude it of its revolutionary sheen. The first thing they do in order to liquidate a revolutionary organisation is by bringing in liberalism in place of firm and clear ideological position. They abhor Leninist party principles and convert the organisation into an open non-functional debating forum. Conspiracies and manipulations become the hallmark of functioning. All these features can now be seen in the UCPN (Maoist).

The Maoists had gained strategic advantage through the ten years of People’s War, which liberated vast regions of the country and established people’s power. The advance of revolution intensified the crisis within the ruling classes and pushed their imperialist, expansionist mentors into a quandary. This set the context for the Peace Accord of 2006 and the mass upheaval that eventually led to the ending of the hated Gyanendra monarchy. The Maoist party was propelled to a unique position of national leadership, gaining overwhelming support for the unfinished agenda of revolution. But instead of utilising these favourable factors and applying tactics suitable to the fulfilment of these aspirations of the people the leadership deviated from the strategic tasks of revolution. The ideological, political roots of this deviation, including the different trends contained in the turn to ‘peace tactics’, are already a matter of ideological struggle within the Nepalese and international Maoist movement. The views of our party on this matter, including correspondence with the UCPN (Maoist) leadership, can be seen in ‘Naxalbari’ No: 3 ( http://www.thenaxalbari.blogspot.com ). This ideological struggle must be certainly deepened, most importantly by the Nepali Maoists themselves. But the immediate task before the Maoists and the revolutionary masses in Nepal is to raise the flag of open rebellion against the revisionist headquarters and thus initiate the reconstruction of the party on solid Marxist-Leninist-Maoist bases, firmly united with the masses. They must get out off the revisionist swamp of Constitutional Assembly politicking and retake the road of revolution. The revolutionary heritage of the Maoists in Nepal, much enriched by the heroic People’s War they led and the glorious sacrifices made by thousands of the valiant daughters and sons of Nepal, along with the boundless solidarity of people all over the world with the Nepali revolution provide the bedrock basis for taking up this challenge. As called for in the Political Resolution of the CCOMPOSA, “People all over the world look up to the Maoists in Nepal to break out of all domestic and external conspiracies and advance determinedly towards the completion of new democratic revolution.”

Krantipriya
Spokesperson,
6th September 2011

http://thenextfront.com/politics/on-the-current-situation-in-nepal-and-the-challenge-before-the-maoists.html

[RED DAVE]

What is it in Maoism that causes this to happen? There is no analysis of the class forces involved. All we get is cries against revisionism. Cool, but where did the revisionism come from? How did it develop within Maoism itself. What is the contradiction that Maoists do not honestly analyze?

The answer, briefly, is that Maoism is based on class collaboration. And with class collaboration with the bourgeoisie, the bourgeoisie always wins.

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

Ho-hum, just an ordinary day in the life of a revolutionary Marxist.


PM Bhattarai in New York

[Nepal]Prime Minister Dr. Bhattarai is scheduled to address the general assembly meeting on September 21.

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has reached New York on Tuesday morning to participate in the 66th General Assembly of the United Nations.

Nepal’s representative to UN, Gyan Chandra Acharya and Nepali Ambassador to the US, Dr. Shankar Sharma welcomed Dr. Bhattarai in New York, according to the Nepali Mission for the United Nations.

Prime Minister Dr. Bhattarai is scheduled to address the general assembly meeting on September 21.

Dr. Bhattarai will meet US President Barack Obama, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and government heads and leaders of different countries during his stay in New York.

Prime Minister Dr. Bhattarai left for New York on September 1 leading a 13-member team of Nepali delegates.(emph added)

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=PM+Bhattarai+in+New+York&NewsID=303392&a=3

RED DAVE

[mosfeld]

A Nepali Maoist Speaks on the Lynching of Troy Davis (http://winterends.net/nepal-stories/139-a-nepali-maoist-speaks-on-the-lynching-of-troy-davis)

http://winterends.net/images/stories/troydavispicture1.jpg

The following is from Uday Magar, a young Nepali Maoist from Thewang in Rolpa, the village where the Nepali people's war began. Uday advocates for the continuation of the Nepalese revolution, and wrote a statement on the lynching of Troy Davis in the United States.

We are shocked by this brutal act of America. We can prove that it is America who is guilty of murdering our friend, TROY DAVIS.

The question is: who is going to punish the murderer? The answer is: US.

A part of America is occupied by machines that reject love and justice. Even after it was proven that TROY DAVIS is an innocent man, he was inhumanly murdered. It's crystal clear that America cruelly kills every hope that is likely to oppose it. It mercilessy murders the minds that show signs of opposition to its plans.

We are one with the big part of America that favours a society free of domination and discrimination in the name of race,color, caste, and class.

We are one Troy Davis who has bee murdered. We are all Troy Davis, and we will not die silently, but instead struggle strongly to establish the only nation in our imagination - A NATION OF WORKERS

YOUTH OF THE WORLD-UNITE!

http://winterends.net/nepal-stories/139-a-nepali-maoist-speaks-on-the-lynching-of-troy-davis

[mosfeld]

***ITS NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT THIS HAPPENS SHORTLY AFTER PRACHANDA'S SECRET VISIT TO INDIA***


Nepal: India Tries to Convict Maoists from People’s War TIme (http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/nepal-india-tries-to-convict-maoists-from-peoples-war-time/)

Posted by hetty7 on September 22, 2011
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/1127.jpg?w=300&h=201 (http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/1127.jpg)This article is from myrepublica (http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=35937).
Clemency Plea Likely for Convicted Maoists

Kiran Chapagain/Kiran Pun
Kathmandu Sept 13: The government is likely to request India for clemency to 10 Maoist leaders including four sitting lawmakers and politburo leaders convicted on treason charges by an Indian high court recently.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Narayankaji Shrestha told Republica that the government on Monday approached the office of the Attorney General for advice.

“We have asked the attorney general to study the legal procedure and how the issue can be resolved,” Shrestha said when asked how the government and the Maoist party would deal with the verdict of the Patna High Court.

In a recent decision, the Patna High Court convicted lawmakers Lokendra Bista, Chitra Bahadur Shrestha, Tara Gharti and Dilip Maharjan. Similarly, others convicted include Maoist leaders Kul Prasad KC, Anil Sharma, Kuman Dahal, Min Prasad Chapagain. Hit Bahadur Tamanag and Shyam Kishor Yadav Bista and KC are politburo members of the Maoist party while Bista and Tamanag are former members. The court slapped jail terms ranging from two years to six years, and fine on the Maoist leaders.

In a commando raid in June 2004, the Indian security officials had arrested the Maoist leaders from five places in Bihar where they had gone for treatment, accusing them of having connection with Indian Maoists, which have been fighting against the India government, and thus amounting to treason.

The leaders were underground at that time in Nepal and were labeled as terrorists by the then Nepal government.

According to Bista, they were released on bail after two years as the Maoist joined the peace process and joined the mainstream politics.

A source said that the attorney general is likely to advise the government to ask the Indian government through diplomatic channel for clemency.

Prime Minister’s aide Bishwadeep Pandey told Republica that the Office of the Prime Minister had started diplomatic efforts to settle the issue on Monday.

This is the second case of Nepali politicians convicted in an Indian court. Nepali Congress leader Chakra Prasad Bastola was convicted by a court in Arariya, Bihar, for his involvement in the hijacking of a Nepali plane in the early 1970′s. His case was dropped when he became Nepali Ambassador to India in the early 1990′a through diplomatic channel.

In the meantime Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shrestha. who is also the Maoist vice-chairman, said that the government and the Maoist party have taken the court verdict with surprise.

“We had expected the Indian government to withdraw the cases against our leaders much earlier. But we came to know now that the cases have not been withdrawn. The verdict came as a surprise, ” Shrestha said.

Similarly, former Minister Bista has questioned the timing of the verdict. “Why did the court pass the verdict at this time after five years?”


http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/nepal-india-tries-to-convict-maoists-from-peoples-war-time/

[mosfeld]

Comrade Kiran meets Prachanda to re-affirm his oppostion to Prachanda/Bhattarai Revisionist Line (http://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.com/2011/09/comrade-kiran-meets-prachanda-to-re.html)



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ELhRgJNn5zo/Tn3CEKCWL-I/AAAAAAAAENE/V3HkTT8XpVI/s400/revisionism.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ELhRgJNn5zo/Tn3CEKCWL-I/AAAAAAAAENE/V3HkTT8XpVI/s1600/revisionism.jpg)



Comrade Kiran Maoist vice chairman has opposed some of the recent moves made by the party leadership including the handover of keys of arms containers met party chairman Prachanda Friday evening to reaffirm his position.

During the meeting held at Prachanda's Naya Bazaar residence, Comrade Kiran informed about the recent gathering of the central leaders and cadres loyal to him in the capital, a Maoist source told Nepalnews.

The meeting lasted just around 10 minutes. Comrade Kiran aka Baidya went alone to meet Prachanda.

Comrade Kiran's one-on-one with Prachanda comes as he prepares to take on the party leadership on a some major issues, including the decision to form an alliance with the Madhesi parties, in the upcoming central committee meeting of the party.

The internal row in the Maoist party has spilled over into the parliament with Comrade Kiran's supporter party secretary CP Gajurel formally objecting to the handover of the container keys in the parliament yesterday.

Democracy and Class Struggle affirms its support for Comrade Kiran in his battle against Prachanda/Bhattarai Revisionism to rectify the Maoist Party in Nepal.

http://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.com/2011/09/comrade-kiran-meets-prachanda-to-re.html

[RED DAVE]

Isn't that sweet. Kiran, who has been in alliance with Prachanda for years, now on the political outs, goes for a momentous, revolutionary, ten minute meeting to "re-affirm his opposition."

How cool is that?

RED DAVE

[RED DAVE]

The sell-out goes on in Nepal.


Maoists likely to put off CC meet

KATHMANDU, Sept 26: UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Monday that the party is likely to postpone the Central Committee (CC) meeting, slated for September 39, to a later date because of the upcoming Dashain. “The date for the meeting will be decided on Tuesday,” Dahal said talking to reporters at Sikute, Sindhupalchowk.

The party had called the CC meeting to settle the disputes that arose following the party´s decision to hand over the containers´ keys and return the properties seized during the conflict.

The four-point deal reached with the Madhes-based parties is also an issue of contention within the Maoist party.

The CC meeting was postponed earlier in view of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai´s visit to New York. Bhattarai is also a vice-chairman of the Maoist party.

Dahal said that internal dispute within party is not a new thing. “We are talking with Kiranji (Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya who leads the hard-line camp). "It is natural for a large party to have disputes,” he said.

Dahal said that the task of completing the peace process within 45 days has already begun, and that the party is seriously engaged in talks with the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and Madhes-based parties.http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=36541


Party won't split: Mahara

KATHMANDU, Sept 24: UCPN (Maoist) leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara said on Saturday the internal dispute over the handover of the keys of arms containers would not hamper the unity in the party.

Speaking at a program in the capital on Saturday, Mahara, who is close to party Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, described the dispute as a minor ideological difference in the party, adding that the party would remain intact despite the difference.

The Baidya faction has been raising a serious objection to the party decision to hand over the keys, prompting many to speculate that the party would suffer a split.

On the occasion, Mahara also said the party would come up with a draft on the conclusion of the peace process once Prime Minister and party Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai returns home from New York.http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=36450

RED DAVE

[mosfeld]

Did you support the PPW?

[RED DAVE]

Did you support the PPW?If the "you" that mosfeld is referring to is myself, I suggest that if he wants a political discussion, he either tack it onto one of the exist threads on Nepal, or start a new thread.

RED DAVE

[mosfeld]

Hey maybe taking you off ignore was a mistake I forgot that you dodged every question. Thanks for reminding me.

[RED DAVE]

Hey maybe taking you off ignore was a mistake I forgot that you dodged every question. Thanks for reminding me.Come see me lurk in my hideout. :D

http://www.revleft.com/vb/maoism-t161537/index.html?p=2244133#post2244133

RED DAVE

[Ret]

After all the excuses, lies and distortions used by Western pro-maoists in unsuccessful attempts to discredit libcom articles showing that when in government the Nepali Maoists are in favour of strike bans; we see, just a month after UCPN(M) began to again lead the government, that they - along with the Maoist-affiliated ANTUF union - have now brokered and endorsed a strike ban agreement with employers;


http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Govt+nod+for+No+Work+No+Pay+ policy&NewsID=304515

30 Sep 2011

Govt nod for No Work No Pay policy

Added At: 2011-09-30 11:18 PM

Last Updated At: 2011-09-30 11:18 PM

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The government today endorsed the March 24 agreement between employers and major trade unions that proposes implementing ‘No Work No Pay’ policy and providing social security allowance to workers.

Endorsing the deal, today’s meeting of Central Labour Advisory Committee, held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who is also looking after the Labour and Transport Management Ministry, made a four-point pact to maintain industrial peace.

Endorsing the March 24 pact between Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and three major trade unions – General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), National Trades Union Congress and All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) – the meeting has solved most of the labour-related problems in the industrial sector, Krishna Hari Puskar Karna joint-spokesperson for the ministry, said.

The government has pledged to introduce Social Security Act within three months.”It is a great achievement,” Bishnu Rijal, the GEFONT president, said. “We have also agreed to form a committee of employers, trade unions and the government to solve labour disputes,” he said, terming the move a milestone in the history of Nepali trade union. The meeting agreed to form a Minimum Wage Board and enforce the ‘industrial peace year’ declaration that envisages banning industrial strike for the next four years.

FNCCI has hailed the deal. “Employers are happy with the deal. We are withdrawing our case from Supreme Court,” said Pashupati Murarka, president of FNCCI’s Employers Council’, referring to the plea it had filed against the government in the Supreme Court for ‘neglecting’ the March 24 pact and publishing the labour ministry’s April 16 agreement with minor trade unions in the government gazette. The panel has hiked the monthly salary of tea estate workers by Rs 1,064.

(My emphasis)

[mosfeld]

Nepal: Badal denounces “great capitalist leap” by Maoist central faction (http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/badal-maoist-establishment-faction-are-cowards/)

Posted by Winston on October 2, 2011
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/badal-maoist-nepal-revolution-prachanda-bhattarai-are-cowards.jpg?w=500&h=330 (http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/badal-maoist-nepal-revolution-prachanda-bhattarai-are-cowards.jpg)

"We are not cowards. We have launched our struggle openly"


Ram Bahadur Thapa, i.e. Badal, is a founding leader of the Maoist movement. During the People’s War he was chief military strategist, and his open alignment with the radical forces in the party pushing for a people’s revolt is a very big deal.

Please remember that reports, like this one, made in the daily mainstream press are often riddled with errors and false reports.
From Myrepublica (http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=36658)

KATHMANDU, Sept 28: Maoist General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa on Sunday accused the party establishment of being “conspirators and cowards” and of deviating from the ideals of revolution.

Thapa expressed this view while speaking at a cadre orientation program at Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, held by the party hardliners.

“The cowards do their things from hiding. They signed the four-point deal and handed over the container keys secretly. But we are not cowards. We have launched our struggle openly,” a participant quoted Thapa as saying.

Thapa told the cadres that his faction would see how the party establishment presents itself in the forthcoming central committee meeting, and chart out a course accordingly.

“We will see how they present themselves. But we must if necessary give a push to break the current course,” Thapa argued. He meant that if Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam continued along the current path, the party would clearly deviate from its revolutionary path, and the opposition faction must then take initiatives to save the party.

Thapa argued that the new struggle launched by the hardliners was not meant to split the party. “But when we set such a goal, there will be a separate government and separate army,” a cadre quoted Thapa as saying.

According to the participants, Thapa stated that his faction had not yet broken relations with the party establishment and he would do his best for reconciliation.

Thapa argued that it is the party establishment — not the hardliners –who are for splitting the party by flouting the party´s official decisions.

He stated that the party establishment, by returning seized property and handing over the container keys, made a great “capitalistic leap” – not any leap for communism.

Meanwhile, cadres from the party hardline faction marched from Jawalakhel to Santibatika protesting against the statement of Defense Minister Sarat Singh Bhandari that the 22 districts of the Tarai may announce a separate state. Maoist leader Tilak Pariyar addressed the gathering at Santibatika.

Meanwhile also, the Maoists have postponed a Central Committee meeting scheduled for Sept 30, citing the upcoming Hindu festival of Dashain.

[mosfeld]

Two-Line Struggle in the International Communist Movement

Posted by admin on October 2nd, 2011

http://thenextfront.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/BASANTA1-150x150.jpg (http://thenextfront.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/BASANTA1.jpg)

By: Indra Mohan Sigdel ‘Basanta’

The world communist movement has until today passed by 162 years after the Communist Manifesto was published in 1848. Detailed account of 162 years’ long history of the communist parties all over the world will suffice to compiling a few big volumes. It is very difficult to condense such a huge subject in a two or three page article. So, centring mainly on the questions like, what does a two-line struggle mean in a communist party, where and how has been its central expression in the history of the world communist movement, a brief discussion will be carried out in this article. And, an effort will be made to uncover the content of the ongoing two-line struggle in our party and justify why it is not different in its content from the two-line struggles carried out in the international communist movement until today.


Two-line struggle is an ideological and political struggle, which takes place between a Marxist line and a non-Marxist i.e. a bourgeois line, in a communist party. In other words, the two-line struggle, in its essence, is a struggle between two paths in which one strives to grasp Marxism firmly aiming at going along the path of establishing communism, the world over, and other defines Marxism as to agree with immediate need for partial reform in the status quo. Class struggle exists till the classes exist in a society and it is reflected in the ideological struggle of the communist party. It is the life of a communist party. The philosophical base of a communist party is Marxism. And, Marxism is developmental, now it is Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.


There are a lot of communist parties in a country and all of them claim to be a genuine Marxist. In our country too, a huge number of communist parties exist today. One should be clear on whether one is a Marxist or not and what is its criterion to be a Marxist notwithstanding its claim to be so. Marxism is a comprehensive whole, and it has three component parts. First one is the philosophy; it is dialectical and historical materialism. The second one is the scientific socialism and third is the political economy. Marxist philosophy provides ideological leadership to the proletarian revolution. Scientific socialism is such a transitional political system that leads the entire process of transformation from capitalism into communism. Likewise, Marxist political economy urges to establish socialised mode of production in place of the capitalist one so that it makes every worker the owner of his labour. These are the fundamental questions of Marxism. To deviate from any one of these aspects is to follow the path of reformism. For a reformist, it is easy to attack on methodology but it is not equally easy to attack on principle. It does not mean that bourgeois representatives do not attack upon Marxist philosophy. Yet, the revisionists mainly attack upon the violent struggle, which plays a midwife role to establish socialist system, and the dictatorship of the proletariat, which is necessary to defend and develop it.


Lenin, in his important thesis on State and Revolution, writes, “It is often said and written that the main point in Marx’s theory is the class struggle. But this is wrong. And this wrong notion very often results in an opportunist distortion of Marxism and its falsification in a spirit acceptable to the bourgeoisie. For the theory of the class struggle was created not by Marx, but by the bourgeoisie before Marx, and, generally speaking, it is acceptable to the bourgeoisie. Those who recognize only the class struggle are not yet Marxists; they may be found to be still within the bounds of bourgeois thinking and bourgeois politics. To confine Marxism to the theory of the class struggle means curtailing Marxism, distorting it, reducing it to something acceptable to the bourgeoisie. Only he is a Marxist who extends the recognition of the class struggle to the recognition of the dictatorship of the proletariat. That is what constitutes the most profound distinction between the Marxist and the ordinary petty (as well as big) bourgeois. This is the touchstone on which the real understanding and recognition of Marxism should be tested.” Although the two-line struggle in the international communist movement has been manifested in different forms, but in the final analysis, it is centred on the question of whether to go forward along the path of continued revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat or follow the path of class reconciliation.


Apart from the revisionist attack upon the dictatorship of the proletariat, we find rigorous attacks upon two other components of Marxism too. On unity and struggle of opposites, Marxism regards that struggle is absolute and unity is relative. But, the revisionists have been attacking upon this notion. At the time of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution a Chinese intellectual Yang Hsien Chen had brought forward an eclectic concept of ‘two combines into one’ as opposed to the dialectical concept of one divides into two. It stands against the dialectical materialist concept that the unity between two opposites is relative and the struggle between two opposites is absolute. The Communist Party of China led by Mao strongly opposed it. He argued that it was the path of class collaboration in place of class struggle and the dictatorship of the proletariat. In fact, the principle that regarded the unity between two opposites is absolute and the struggle is relative was the ideological root behind the counter-revolution in China.


When we see back, we find this very struggle to have taken place in the Nepalese communist movement too. In the Unity Congress held in 1992, Ruplal Viswakarma had advocated that the unity is absolute and struggle is relative. Where did that understanding make him reach today is clear to all. As his legacy, the very understanding of our leadership who envisages that the liberation of Nepal and Nepalese people lies in the fusion of materialism and idealism has now made him reach to disarming the PLA by handing over containers’ keys to the reaction. In addition to that the Maoist Prime Minister has now ordered the police administration to return land to the landlords by seizing back from the landless and poor peasants who had occupied it with the strength of PLA when people’s war was advancing. It will not be a surprise even if our leadership, who opines today to declare ‘martyrs’ to those people who were killed from both sides at the time of war, alleges ‘criminal’ tomorrow to those disciplined and revolutionary comrades to whom he had ordered to take action against class enemies yesterday. An idea that we should work friendly with Indian ruling classes to defend national sovereignty of Nepal is becoming dominant in our party. It is national capitulationism. All this is an expression of class collaboration and its ideological base is eclecticism. The two-line struggle, which is going on in our party, is at its climax today.


Use of force plays a midwife role to transfer the state power from one class to another. This is the first point that Marx has taught us in how to seize power. The second point is that a transitional system, which exists for a long time in between capitalism and communism, is socialism and it is expressed in the form of the dictatorship of the proletariat. But the revisionists all over the world have been attacking upon this very essence of Marxism. The target of Kautsky to Bernstein and Khrushchev to Teng Hsiao Ping had been to attack on the theory of violent revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat, and the revisionists today have been doing the same. Khrushchev had attacked upon the use of force in the name of peaceful transition and the dictatorship of the proletariat in the name of the state of the whole people. During the great debate in 70s, Mao not only struggled ideologically against Khrushchevite revisionism but also declared that class struggle exists all through the period of socialism. In this very context, Mao pointed out that, in order to stop the bourgeois agents from seizing power, the proletariat should continue revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat all through the period of socialism. It is known as the theory of continued revolution.


Like the revisionists of other countries, revisionists from Nepal too have been opposing the midwife role of violence to make revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat as well. In the history of the communist movement in Nepal, the revisionism had formally originated from the Manmohan’s appeal in 1957 to the King in which he said that he would propagate socialism peacefully. The revolutionary class struggle that started in the form of Jhapa Rebellion in 1972 has now landed at multiparty democracy after the erstwhile CPN (ML) formally adopted the Khrushchevite revisionist line of peaceful transition as their line. Nepalese people have witnessed that the great people’s war, initiated from 1 February 1996, has brought about far-reaching changes in the Nepalese society. But, the Nepalese people do not have now people’s power that the 10 years long people’s war had established. People’s governments have been dissolved. Weapons which were collected by the sacrifice of tens of thousands of valiant sons and daughters of Nepalese people have been stored in the containers and their keys have now reached into the hands of reactionaries. The PLA claimed to have built up to prevent counter-revolution and make the Nepalese people reach to communism is now at the verge of liquidation in the name of integration and rehabilitation. This has made the Nepalese people reach such a situation at which Mao said “without army people have nothing”. It is not merely a technical issue related with the container’s key but a theoretical one. It shows how the role of PLA, which is mandatory to seize power by the proletariat and continue revolution under its dictatorship, is being denied. It is outright class capitulationism.


The two-line struggle inside the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) is now centred on whether to maintain PLA with arms and integrate them to form a national army or recruit in the forest guard by disarming them, fight to establish new democracy and socialism through people’s federal republic and fight for national independence or kneel down before Indian expansionism. Our leadership has surrendered before the enemy by disarming PLA and has stood against the Paris height CC meeting document. In that very document it is said, “Army integration and rehabilitation agenda should be taken up simultaneously. We must fully remain cautious towards the reactionary conspiracy that may be hatched to weaken and disarm our party by integrating and rehabilitating PLA before the constitution has been written.” In this light, though different in form, the content of two-line struggle which is going on in our party now is not different than the struggle between Marxism and revisionism that had taken place in the international communist movement in the past.


The economic programme of the communist revolutionaries is to bring to an end the private ownership upon the means of production and establish it its place the socialised relation of production. It resolves the contradiction between capital and labour in the capitalist society. However, the bourgeois agents, who penetrate into a communist party, attack upon the socialist mode of production and emphasise on the development of productive forces. The eighth Congress of the Communist Party of China had stressed on the need to develop productive force by saying that the contradiction between augmenting material necessity of the people and lagging productive force was the principal contradiction in the then China. Teng Hsiao Peng’s saying, “No matter the cat is white or back till it catches the rat”, elucidates that his emphasis was on the capitalist development. At the time of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, the revolutionaries in China had taken up a policy of prioritising socialised production relation based on the slogan of “Grasp revolution, promote production.”


Under the leadership of the proletariat the Nepalese people have been participating in big mass movements and the ten year’s great people’s war from 1996 to 2006 with a glaring example of sacrifice. In this process, the centralised feudal monarchy, which had ruled Nepal for 240 years, has ended. Some of the leaders of our party, who consider it as the completion of political revolution, have talked of going forward to economic transformation. It is utterly wrong. Although the monarchy has been brought to an end, Nepal is still a semi-feudal and semi-colonial country. The economic revolution, which is said to be carried out upon this type of socio-economic base, is the growth of comprador and bureaucratic capitalism not of national capitalism. This kind of economic development cannot do anything other than fattening a handful of comprador bourgeoisie and impoverish the country and the entire people. Therefore, the ongoing two-line struggle in our party is centred on whether to struggle for establishing people’s federal republic to pave the way forward to develop national capital and thereby lay a foundation of the socialist economy or bring into play the finance capital from the imperialist countries in the status quo and in so doing fatten the comprador bourgeoisie.


The aforesaid analysis clarifies that two-line struggle goes on continuously in a communist party on the contents of Marxist philosophy, scientific socialism and political economy. It is equally true for our party also. In order to strengthen the socialist economic base, the proletarian power continues revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat on the basis of Marxist outlook and this process paves the way forward to communism. The revisionists attack sometimes upon content of the Marxist philosophy, sometimes upon the dictatorship of the proletariat and sometimes upon the essence of socialist economy. Also the ongoing two-line struggle in our party is not far from this. In order to defeat the right revisionism and unite party on the ideological basis of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, a Maoist revolutionary must stand in favour of dialectical and historical materialism, continued revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat and the socialist economy. This is the historical task of every revolutionary in Nepal to accomplish new democratic revolution and pave the way forward to socialism.



September 25, 2011

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Nepal: Maoist hardliners launch separate cadre training programme (http://revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/nepal-maoist-hardliners-launch-separate-cadre-training-programme/)

Friday, 30 September 2011 18:05

Signaling deepening internal row, leaders of the hardliner faction of UCPN (Maoist) have started a separate training programme for their cadres.

General secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa and secretary C.P Gajurel reached Rajhar of Nawalparasi district to give training to the hardliner cadres on Friday.

According to a source, Thapa and Gajurel have started orientation to the cadres on the their faction’s policies and strategies.

Yesterday, both Thapa and Gajurel skipped the meeting of office-bearers as they remained busy with the preparation for separate training programmes.

Baidya faction that has intensified offensive against the party establishment is also expected to conduct similar orientation programmes in other districts. nepalnews.com

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Maoist Radicals to Block Return of Seized Land (http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/maoist-radicals-to-block-return-of-seized-land/)

Posted by Winston on October 1, 2011
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/nepal-police-face-off-vs-maoists1.jpg?w=466&h=260&h=260

“Wherever Baburam sends police, I will be there. We will see how the police will fire at us”

Many times over the past five years, there has been talk of the Maoists ‘returning’ property – agricultural land, buildings and homes – seized by the poor during the People’s War. Until now, this has for the most part not taken place. With the beginning of the peace process there was an understanding that Nepal would see significant land reform, and as this has not happened, the squatters and poor farmers who live on the captured land have not left.

Now, with the leader of the conservative right-wing faction of the Maoists occupying the office of Prime Minister, there is once again talk of forcing the squatters to leave and hand their homes back to the landlords. This time the talk appears to have serious intentions behind it. What anti-Maoist governments could not even begin, a Maoist-led government appears set to to try and finish.

Large sections of the movement see this as a horrific betrayal… and they intend to fight against it.

From Myrepublica (http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=36511)

(http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=36511)
Chand to block return of seized properties

KIRAN PUN


KATHMANDU, Sept 26: UCPN (Maoist) Standing Committee Member Netra Bikram Chand, who is close to Senior Vice-Chairman Mohan Baidya, has threatened to block the government bid to return properties seized by the Maoists during the conflict.

Addressing a function in Kathmandu on Sunday, Chand announced that he would go to the places where the government will deploy police to return the seized properties and obstruct the police.

“Wherever Baburam [the prime minister] sends police, I will be there. We will see how the police will fire at us,” a participant in the closed-door meeting quoted Chand as saying.

Chand also accused Bhattarai of forgetting the circumstances in which he became the prime minister, a reference to the Dhobighat meeting based on which Bhattarai became prime minister.

The meeting had brought together Vice-chairmen Baidya, Bhattarai, Narayankaji Shrestha and General Secretary Ram Bahadur Badal, which apparently prepared ground for Bhattarai´s election as prime minister.

“He should not forget the ladder that he used to climb up to be the position of prime minister. If he throws the same ladder, how will he ever come down? If he tries to jump down, he will end up breaking his limbs,” the source further quoted Chand as saying during the function.

Similarly, addressing the same function General Secretary Thapa informed that he would table new agendas for discussion–whether Marxism or Buddhism should be the party´s ideology or whether the party should side with bourgeoisies or suppressed group.

Thapa´s remark was an allusion to the fact that party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is a co-chairman of Asia Pacific Exchange Cooperation Foundation that recently floated a plan to develop Lumbini, the birth place of Gautam Buddha.

“The central committee meeting should come up with the party´s work plan and decide on its ideology,” another participant quoted Thapa as saying. Thapa also accused Chairman Dahal of trying to split the party.

“He went Siliguri [India] without informing the party and met with RAW [Indian intelligence] and other persons. He handed over the keys of arms containers without discussing the matter within the party and signed a four-point deal with the Madhes-based parties without informing the party,” he said.

[mosfeld]

A document by UOC (MLM) Colombia

Posted by admin on October 1st, 2011
http://thenextfront.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/communist-logo11-150x150.png (http://thenextfront.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/communist-logo11.png)
We have got this document from the comrades of PBSP. This is the document by UOC (MLM) Colombia. We have got its English Translation from http://pbspmug.webs.com/apps/blog, posted by Shovon Rahman, September 30, 2011. Basically we agree with this document. But this document is not fully aware of entire complication and struggle running within UCPN (Maoist). To some extent its analysis about Kiran’s block is monolithic. But it is true, now the time has come to make breakthrough with the revisionists of UCPN (Maoist). This is the one and only way to march a head.

UOC(MLM), Colombia document: The Revisionist Traitors in Nepal Still In the Service Of the Reactionary State

On November 8, 2006 was confirmed the signing of a peace agreement between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) – CPN (M) – and the interim government of Nepal.

Until this, People’s War of ten years led by the said party had managed to corner the centuries-old monarchy in the country and its reactionary army in the capital Kathmandu, forcing the king to leave the control of the government directly into the hands of the ruling classes, the bourgeoisie and the landowners.

But against all odds, the leaders of the CPN(M) decided to stop the people’s war, and to abandon the programmatic project of destruction of the old reactionary state with the revolutionary violence of the masses, and the construction of a State of New Democracy, as a form of dictatorship of the proletariat in a semi-feudal and semi-colonial country.

Instead of this, the leaders of the CPN (M) undertook to negotiate, with the reactionary political parties of the exploiting classes and the reformist parties of the petty bourgeoisie, their participation in the old reactionary state to “remodel” it, engaging in the peace agreement to dismantle the bases of popular power, to disarm the people, to keep the People’s Liberation Army – PLA- weapons locked in UN containers, to merge their soldiers in the reactionary army (the same royal army that was about to surrender), to form a new parliament, an interim government where the Maoists leaders have seats in some ministries and to convene a Constituent Assembly.

An abominable felony that the leaders of the CPN (M) presented under the name “theory of tactics for the revolution in the 21st century”, for which they received applause from all the reactionaries in Nepal and the imperialist bourgeoisie, supported by the international opportunism.

Praising it as a sign of sanity and wisdom of the “Maoists”, with the tacit support of the silence of the defunct Revolutionary Internationalist Movement – RIM and open support of some of its parties for whom it was an “example of tactical flexibility” and a “development of Marxism” to the conditions of the new century, reaching the ridiculous argument of a leader of the Revolutionary Communist Group of Colombia[1] who at a public event organized by Revolución Obrera, justified the Peace Agreement as a “big ploy to fool the reactionary and the imperialists “.

Meanwhile, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist parties and organizations from different countries immediately denounced the betrayal of the CPN (M), as did the comrade Azad, Spokesperson of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), who later was foully murdered, because his ideas and practice were completely opposed to the surrender of Nepal’s Maoist leaders, as publicly stated by on November 13 2006: “A new Nepal can only emerge by defeating the reactionary state. The deposit of PLA weapons under UN supervision lead to the disarming of the masses.” “Nothing is more dreadful to imperialism and the reactionaries than armed masses and hence they would gladly enter into any agreement to disarm them”, “The agreement of the Maoists to be part of the interim government of Nepal cannot transform the reactionary character of the state machinery that serves for the exploitation by the ruling classes and imperialism.” “A fundamental principle of Marxism is that it cannot have basic changes in the social system without demolishing the machinery of state. ”

So, the Executive Committee of the Communist Workers’ Union (MLM) publicly called on the 14th November to “Struggle against the Traitor Opportunism in the leadership of the Communist Party of Nepal(Maoist)”. “The decision of the party leadership to sign a peace agreement with the commitment to lay down their arms and participate in the bourgeois government and a Constituent Assembly is a clear betrayal of the people and the international proletariat. Giving up to destroy the reactionary state with the People’s War is a prostration before the might of the bourgeoisie and the worst manifestation of distrust of the power emanating from the armed and organized masses. We reject categorically the decision of the Communist Party of Nepal(Maoist) to depose weapons and renounce the path of People’s War.”

Indeed, signing he Agreement of TREASON in Nepal, their leaders unanimously dedicated themselves to be political fiddler with the bourgeoisie and their opportunistic counterparts, especially with the charge of the Prime Minister, who since then have rotated between Koirala (the bourgeois Congress Party), Prachanda (of the revisionist CPN (M)) who resigned after 8 months unable to remove the military commander of the Army, Khanal (of the opportunist petty-bourgeois party UML)and now Bhattarai (again of the revisionist UCPN (M)[2]) who was lastly elected by the Constituent Assembly in August.

Thus, Prachanda and Bhattarai, yesterday’s chief of the people’s war, have with the backing of their party become Prime Minister, to lead the reactionary state, the execution of the dictatorship of the exploiting classes on the people. It is the continuation of the betrayal and its direct aid to reactionary state, through the practice of ministeryalism, already denounced at the time of the Second International in the late nineteenth century, but which is still blatantly hailed by “Maoists” parties who see it as “steps of progress of the revolution in Nepal.”

The current program UCPN (M) is a bourgeois and reactionary program of completing the peace process and agree the new constitution, defended both by the Prachanda-Bhattarai and the Kiran-Badal-Gaurav-Basanta blocks, this last block being presented by some Maoist parties as the revolutionary line of the UCPN (M), of which is denied its revisionist character, when in reality the differences between these two blocks are only on the form of the accomplishment the betrayal agreed in the Agreements of 2006: while the firsts added to the treachery the symbolic handover of the keys of the containers with the weapons of the PLA to a special committee for the integration in the army, the seconds requires “the worthy integration of the PLA [to the reactionary army] … with weapons and in group … the spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement”[3].

That is a difference entirely secondary and especially stupid, because in fact already been seized weapons from the hands of the people with the November 2006 agreement that placed them under UN supervision!

Execrable betrayal consummated five years ago!, but that the RIM since, and most of their parties since then, endeavored to deny, to evade and to keep silence about! in a conciliation with the revisionism that the world proletariat will never forgive, and now, some voice semit surprise, anger and condemnation about the new outrages of the CPNU (M),and again implore, as what happened with Prachanda in 2006, in a waiting measure centrist of “no rush” in the confrontation with the equally treacherous block of Kiran.

The official theoretical basis of the UCPN (M) is not Marxism Leninism Maoism, but revisionism!

The official political line UCPN of the (M) is not the violent destruction of the reactionary state, but its defense, its” remodeling” and ultimately, submission to the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie!

The simple denunciation of the Prachanda-Bhattarai clique is not sufficient for the demarcation between Marxism and revisionism, it is essential to recognize the revisionist and traitor nature of the UCPN (M) and give up the pretense of promoting centrist unity of the MLM with this party!

A true revolutionary line in Nepal is obliged to break with the revisionist line of the UCPN (M), to denounce his treason committed with the peace agreement of 2006, and to raise again the flags of the struggle to death against the bourgeoisie, the landowners, the imperialists and all reactionaries!

We are fully confident that the honest and firm Communists of Nepal, armed with Maoist Marxism-Leninism, find again in the workers and peasants the social base of the revolution that will overthrow with the weapons, shatter and sweep away the reactionary state that oppresses the people to ensure the privileges of the exploiters, a state which today is headed by the “Maoist” Bhattarai in the office of Prime Minister.

Periodista Vocero de Revolución Obrera

Colombia, 13th September 2011

Notes:
1. This organization, which never said anything officially and publicly about the treason in Nepal, in those days, in support of the revisionist Prachanda Path, uncritically distributes a collection of his principal documents.
2. Refers to the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) as a result of the merger on January 13, 2009 of CPN (Maoist) and CPN (Ekata Kendra Masal).
3. See Press Release of Kiran and Badal on September 2: Let us oppose the decision of handing over the keys! Let us dignified Implement the decision of army integration!

[mosfeld]

Maoist Radicals take to the Streets (http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/maoist-radicals-take-to-the-streets/)

Posted by enaadoug1982 (http://enaadoug.wordpress.com/) on September 30, 2011
The following report comes from ekantipur.com (http://www.ekantipur.com/2011/09/30/top-story/baidya-faction-takes-out-torch-rally-against-dpms-remark/341640/). We will have on going reports posted as news in Nepal breaks.

(http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0027-1.jpg)During a torch rally from Sept 8th, 2011. Photo Credit: Eric Ribellarsi

Baidya-faction takes out torch rally against DPM’s remark

KATHMANDU, SEP 30 – UCPN (Maoist) Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya’s faction hit the streets on Friday with lighted torch in their hands to protest against the recent controversial statement by Defence Minister Sarat Singh Bhandari.

Various sister organisations of the hard-line faction led by Baidya have deliberated to take out the torch rallies across the country on Friday and Saturday evening, said Politburo member Kul Prasad KC.

Another Politburo member Naraya Sharma informed that the rallies along with other protest plans would continue unless Bhandari’s statement and the four-point deal are scrapped.

Earlier, it was decided in the Standing Committee that the protests would halt until the next Central Committee meeting. However, the Baidya faction has been demonstrating against Defence Minister Bhandari’s statement across the country for the past two days. Even CPN-UML and Nepali Congress (NC) affiliated organisations have been joining the Maoists in solidarity with the demonstrations.

Defence Minister Bhandari on Monday had said that the 22 Madhes districts would detach themselves from the nation if issues of Madhes were overlooked. “If the 22 districts decide to separate themselves from the nation, which law or statute would save the nation,” Bhandari had questioned.

Dahal meets Baidya

At a time when the internal struggle within the UCPN (Maoist) is intensifying, party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal held talks with Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya.

The meeting between the two Maoist top guns, who are ideologically, came after the party Central Committee meeting slated to begin from today was cancelled.

The duo reportedly discussed the differing issues within the party and the way to deal with it.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/maoist-radicals-take-to-the-streets/

[mosfeld]

Fight against revisionism in UCPN-Maoist

26 September, 2011 | Filed under: Main News (http://redstarnepal.com/?cat=9) | Posted by: redstar (http://redstarnepal.com/?author=1)
http://redstarnepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/cflag.gif (http://redstarnepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/cflag.gif)



Kathmandu, 25 September: In the inner struggle of UCPN-Maoist party in Nepal, new and new ideas and the style of two line struggle are being developed in the course struggle. Many political and other analysts have said that the party splits and the interest of the reactionaries will be fulfilled.


However, the fight has developed its historically advanced procedures for inner struggle. The party has already developed some ideas by creating the authentic forum of discussion and separate gathering and interaction by the ideological factions. This is the latest development because the revisionism and the reformism that has came into existence in the course of exercising the people’s power in the local and regional levels of the nation. We are in that situation where we have to evaluate the history of the people’s powers, their exercises and the emergence of the reformism and the revisionism in the world. The real exercise is being implemented in Nepal. The party, UCPN-Maoist, has been divided into three ideological factions: revolutionary, revisionism and reformism.


Now the entire party is in the intense inner struggle. It has not yet been decided which will win. Nevertheless, revolutionary faction is offending and fighting with the help of the people, supporters, well wishers and the strong team all over the country.


http://redstarnepal.com/?p=312