Alliance with all nationalist forces imperative: Leaders [ 2007-12-10 ]

http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=31896

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Dec. 9: Maoist chairman Prachanda's recent statement that a unity among the parliamentary parties, Maoists and nationalist forces close to the palace is imperative to find a way-out of the current political stalemate, has created ripples in contemporary politics.

The leaders of the parliamentary parties, representatives of the civil society and others have given numerous statements in response to Prachanda's remark given during an interaction organised by the Federation of Nepalese Journalists here last week. Addressing the event, Prachanda had said that with the king pushed to the periphery, there was no alternative to a unity among the parliamentary parties, Maoists and the nationalist royalist forces to resolve the protracted political problem.

A few leaders of Nepali Congress have viewed Prachanda's statement to be serious and sensitive. The leaders of other political parties and civil society representatives, however, have said that it is inappropriate to twist Prachanda's statement and noted it is pragmatic to give a due place to everybody under the republican setup, even those said to be royalists in the past.

They have said that with the politics gathering further complications and undue interference of foreign forces, it is the compulsion of the current situation to move ahead together with those close to the king in the past.

Senior Maoist leader C P Gajurel said Prachanda's statement meant that with the country virtually transformed into a republic, the army, security personnel, bureaucrats and politicians close to king should be brought under the fold of republicanism and should not be taken otherwise. ?However, those wishing to retain monarchy are the enemies of the country and its people and there is no chance of an alliance with them."

He further said the king's men and the government employees who did not cooperate with the anti-king political forces during the royal regime could not be treated in the same way the monarch was.

Kumar Phudung, a member of the Legislature Parliament, termed Prachanda's statement an opportune one. He said Prachanda's expression held much strategic importance, adding it was meant to check foreign interference and usher in republicanism smoothly.

He said Prachanda's statement was a big challenge to forces wishing to interfere in Nepalese politics as well as to the incumbent government. He said the Maoist plan to forge an alliance with the republican oriented royalist forces was not at all anomalous.

Professor Maniklal Shrestha said Prachanda proposed for an alliance with the once royalist forces at the critical juncture to keep the national sovereignty intact. He said all the army personnel and those labelled as royalists were far from being king's cronies and it would be nothing wrong to forge an alliance with them.

Revisiting history, Shrestha said that communists including former prime minister Manmohan Adhikari had announced working alliance with king Birendra in early 1970 despite having political differences. He said it was pointless for Nepali Congress, a party established under the initiative of B. P. Koirala who did not hesitate to say that his gullet was joined with that of the king, and its leaders to criticise Prachanda for his candid statement.

He said the latest reactions of Nepali Congress leaders were attempts to defame Prachanda although everybody was aware of how Maoists treated the monarchy in the past and how they see it at present.