By Sudeshna Sarkar
Kathmandu, Sep 28 (IANS) As Nepal’s ruling parties get ready for a key round of talks with the Maoists that will determine the fate of the crucial November election, the rebels have warned that they would continue their anti-poll agitation if the negotiations failed.
On the eve of the talks Friday, there was wariness in the rebel camp despite the public assurance by a senior ruling party leader that the guerrillas were “positive” towards the polls.
After Nepal’s six-party ruling alliance Thursday held parleys with the Maoists, a senior leader from the alliance, Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, had told the waiting media that the rebels were “positive” towards the Nov 22 election, conveying the impression that the political deadlock was about to be resolved.
However, on Friday, the Janadisha daily, the mouthpiece of the rebels, said the dispute over the abolition of monarchy and the mode of election was still unresolved.
“Meeting ends without any conclusion,” the daily said in its top story.
“As Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala stuck to his old stand that he would not have Nepal declared a republic immediately through parliament or adopt a fully proportional method of election, the meeting ended without any resolution.”
The Maoists are blaming Koirala, who is supported by India and the US, for the impasse.
“We failed to reach an agreement since the prime minister is sticking to his old stand instead of favouring a change,” Maoist former minister and current spokesman of the party Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who took part in Thursday’s meeting, told the daily.
The uncertainty about the election, regarded as a key step in restoring peace in Nepal, deepened this month after the Maoists pulled out of the government, demanding the state meet its 22 demands to create a conducive poll atmosphere.
The two main demands are abolishing Nepal’s 238-year-old monarchy immediately without waiting for the election and adopting a fully proportional electoral system.
An understanding is likely on the first demand with Koirala’s Nepali Congress party this week officially declaring that it was withdrawing support to constitutional monarchy and pledging a federal republic.
However, Koirala has reportedly ruled out changing the electoral system.
“Till that happens, we will continue our protest programme,” Janardan Sharma, Maoist MP and one of the deputy commanders of the rebels’ People’s Liberation Army, told IANS.
“A fully proportional election method is the only way power can be decentralised to meet the aspirations of different ethnic communities. It is not an impossible demand.”
Sharma, known by his nom de guerre Prabhakar, said the constitution could be amended within a couple of days for the change in election method. It could also be implemented through a parliamentary declaration.
“We are not against the election,” he added, rejecting Koirala’s accusation that the Maoists were fleeing the polls because they had lost their support in the Terai plains.
“Even if we lose a seat, it doesn’t matter. But we want the election to address people’s aspirations.”
On Sunday, the day for filing a set of nominations, the Maoists have announced they would picket all district administration offices.
From Oct 4, they have called a three-day general strike. Oct 5 is the day for filing the second set of nominations for the election.