http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=111774 YCL irony Young Communist League (YCL) has become a distressing phenomenon in Nepali politics. It has become a symbol of highhandedness, anarchical behavior, violence and rag-tag crowd under a party that claims to have accepted democratic norms. It has been disrupting political parties' mass meetings, severely beating students and physically attacking government administrators. It has taken laws in its hands and imposed its whimsical orders on the people. The group has, however, occasionally attempted to be engaged in responsible and social activities like planting trees, cleaning roads or other forms of social service. YCL has been over-enthused because of the apathy of the government to enforce the law and order. Ironically, it took unnecessarily long time for Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to be moved by YCL's highhandedness. Prime Minister Koirala got infuriated only when YCL kidnapped Sitaram Prasai and made him public at the open theater. Prasai is the father-in-law of Koirala's nephew. Had Koirala become equally serious when the YCL cadres abused the owner of Hotel Woodlands that prompted the businessmen to call for banda, when it attacked assistant CDO of Kanchanpur or when YCL committed crimes in public, the situation would not have reached to this boiling point. Koirala's unanticipated rage against YCL and calling it a Young Criminal League has, however, articulated many things. He should have realized that the Maoists have been rehearsing urban rebellion only because they know that it is possible under such a weak and ineffective government. Had the Home Ministry paid due heed to the general public's plea since the establishment of YCL, the situation would not have turned so pathetic. The Post has been critical of YCL and its anarchical, unruly and rowdy behavior. However, The Post supports the act of arresting Sitaram Prasai and handing him over to the police. Koirala and Home Minister Sitoula had been overtly irresponsible in arresting a “warranted” person who was attending functions in public and throwing parties at five-star hotels. If the government becomes so irresponsible, the citizens' group has to come forward, and that is the role YCL has played in this event. Still, we do not subscribe to YCL's kidnapping of Prasai for a day. They should have handed over Prasai straight to the police. No one has the right to kidnap any individual, no matter how serious the crime is. Still, we believe that the arrest of Prasai is one of the responsible things YCL has done in the recent past. It is a good slap on the face of both Prime Minister Koirala and Home Minister Sitoula. Let us hope the government comes into action and arrests other warranted big shots before YCL embarrasses them again. Posted on: 2007-06-06 07:22:47 (Server Time)