Nepal caught between 'People's War' and politicians' war - Newindpress.com

Monday October 4 2004 15:47 IST

IANS

KATHMANDU: In addition to an eight-year-old "People's War" started by the Maoists from 1996, Nepal today faces a politicians' war as well.

While the insurgents want to overthrow monarchy and establish a communist republic, four political parties opposing the government have been waging a non-cooperation movement, punctuated by violence and shutdowns.

The protest, led by the Nepali Congress party of former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, is also joined by two Left parties - the People's Front Nepal and the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party - and the Nepal Sadbhavana party (Anandi) consisting of people from the Terai plains.

The protest, which observes its third anniversary this month, was against an incident that threw Nepal into turmoil on Oct 4, 2002.

On this day, King Gyanendra sacked the then prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba for not being able to hold elections in time.

In Deuba's place, the king appointed his own nominee, another former premier Lokendra Bahadur Chand, triggering a protest by the opposition alliance that condemned the king for stepping outside his constitutional authority and usurping executive powers.

Since Chand there have been two more new governments headed by prime ministers chosen by the king overriding the consensus candidate of the opposition parties.

However, the agitation, which has time and again crippled Kathmandu, lost much of its steam this year when one of its major partners, the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist, left the movement to join the present government headed by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The current opposition coalition has been asked by Deuba to join the government or support from outside the effort initiated by the government to open peace parleys with the Maoists.

The alliance wants Deuba's ouster and restoration of parliament, which Deuba had dissolved in 2002 before being sacked.

The alliance planned to take out a rally in Kathmandu Monday in support of their demand followed by similar demonstrations this week. However, with two of Nepal's biggest festivals, Dashain and Tihar, round the corner, the average Nepalese wants an end to violence.

The public sentiment is for peace talks to start between the government and Maoists.

Though the Deuba government sent two formal proposals for the rebels to come to the table for dialogue, pledging security for the talks' team, the Maoists have so far rejected the overture. Sphere: Related Content