Koirala’s crumbling house of cards!

Kathmandu: Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s house of cards has collapsed.

In effect, it was Koirala’s excessive lust for power and his habit of listening to the dictates of “foreign” forces that eventually crumbled his house so meticulously built by his own late august brother B.P.Koirala.

Frankly speaking, when his party under the pressures form different quarters deviated from the NC’s chartered and structured policies drafted by the founding fathers of the Nepali Congress, the NC house had began crumbling. And when the party of the “liberals” toes the lines of the republicans, the house had to collapse which it did as would be evident from the fresh verdict of the people which is as insignificant as it is ignominious too.

There could be a host of political reasons which brought the down fall of the Nepali Congress in the constituent assembly election. However, we would wish to point some which caused his Himalayan debacle for the congress.

Firstly, and more importantly, Girija’s excessive leaning towards the Indian establishment and his seeking blessings from the Indian Ambassador every now and then irritated not only the lay men but also caused embarrassment to his own top level leaders.

Secondly, Girija even allowed the Indian Intelligence men to loiter around his residence to the extent that some one “planted” by the RAW was seen making calls to New Delhi as and when some thing political of sorts happened in his residence in between the leaders of the seven party alliances. The secret message thus was no more a secret each time the SPA leaders talked of Nepali politics.

Thirdly, Girija’s minimizing the Maoists real strength and the remarkable strategies and at times who even humiliated the Maoists sent different signals to the ex-rebels who by then had concluded that they must work harder in order to ensure the defeat of the NC and the UML.

Fourthly, pretty annoyed by the NC’s humiliating behaviour meted out to the Maoists, the Maoists top-hats devised a highly technical strategies which had it that some Maoists leaders were specially posted in Kathmandu in order to make the NC and the UML leaders conclude that the ex-rebels were in Kathmandu talking politics only, however, the second generation Maoist leaders were already in the districts and villages and campaigning for the impending CA polls. The NC and the UML got disillusioned by the Maoists with proper sophistication.

Fifthly, when Girija Prasad Koirala elevated his daughter to the post of a minister, not only the people but the entire congressmen got irritated and began exhibiting as if the real congress has died a premature death.

Sixthly, Girija Prasad Koirala could have assessed as to why some NC men were disgruntled by his adoption of the republican order and should have acted in order to rectify the mistakes. But he did not which culminated in the distancing of the NC men in the disgruntled camp from Koirala. This too became a major source for the Maoists to pounce upon a pretty weakened NC at time of the election.

Seventhly, notably, those who have lost the election this time are clearly those who came to power in the NC paraphernalia and possessed some sort of “relation” with Prime Minister Koirala.

For example, Sujata Koirala, Dr. Shekhar Koirala, Mahesh Acharya, Chakra Prasad Bastola, Krishna Prasad Sitaula and many more were practically the “stooges” and the “hangers on” of the Koirala lineage.

The lay men this time collected the courage to defeat the Koirala’s men for various explainable reasons.

The final blow to the NC defeat was caused by the RAW penetration into the Koirala cabinet. One gentleman under the cover of NC leader was inducted in Koirala’s cabinet who exhibited that he was more Indian than Mahatma Gandhi. Late Gandhi, had he been alive, would have not controlled his laughter upon observing this NC man. Having allowed functioning as a prestigious minister, he was more concerned in passing out the Nepali information to his masters back in Delhi. His clout in the cabinet was such that Koirala even could not sack him at different times when this gentleman had got to be sacked.

Interestingly, those NC leaders who have got through in the CA poll are apparently close to the King. For example, Sher Bahadur Deuba and Narayan Khadka, Dr. Ram Saran Mahat and Bal Krishna Khand are the ones who though outwardly speak against the King; however, from their inner heart they all exhibit their keen interest in keeping the institution intact. Interestingly, these elected NC men are supposedly close to Krishna Prasad Bhattarai.

All put together Koirala’s congress party is in shambles. The NC’s house has only crumbled. If not handled with care, the party built by the founding fathers will see more vertical splits in series in the impending days.

Indications to that effect have begun to surface.

How a morally and technically defeated Koirala proceeds in the days ahead will be no less interesting.