Election Is The Battleground. Pro-republic forces are making their stands clear while pro-monarchy forces are also in the process of consolidating their strength.
As Nepal is heading towards key nationwide polls to elect an assembly that will, on its first meeting, decide the fate of monarchy, formulate new constitution, and decide on new governing structure of the country, an all out war and polarization has started against progressive democratic republic forces and those who want to stick with the past by joining their neck with monarchy. I agree with the moderate Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist and Leninist-CPN UML) General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal to conclude that remarks made by former Prime Minister and founding member of Nepali Congress party yesterday (and today) that NC should stick to constitutional monarchy or monarchy should favor democracy are utterly irrelevant in today’s scenario. Remarks of Bhattarai come days after NC, the party of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala who is leading a multi-party cabinet, decided to go with the agenda of republic in the polls in November. Bhattarai cites the policy of national reconciliation introduced some decade ago by godfather of NC and first elected prime minister of Nepal late BP Koirala. BP Koirala, whose birth anniversary was marked by Congress workers today, had returned from exile to Nepal in 1976 saying that it was time for NC to join hands to the king to for the national interest. Time has gone through a sea change and Bhattarai is the perfect example of those who haven’t updated themselves with the happenings of the past several years. To say that Nepali Congress should stick to the working-together-with-king policy now is same as saying that I want to I want to ride Bikram Tempo in Kathmandu (which are no more in the city) or want to travel in Tokyo trains run by steam engine. Monarchy is a snake and to talk about constitutional monarchy in today’s scenario is to provide milk to the snake. Continue reading
