Posted by: friendlysis November 19, 2008
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Maoist CC Meet: central leaders' views reflect deep ideological divide
Kantipur Report
KATHMANDU, Nov 19 - The views expressed by CPN-M central members on the issue of the kind of republic the party should adopt as it immediate strategy in the ongoing Maoist Central Committee (CC) meet on Wednesday indicate that the party is deeply divided between those supporting Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's "moderate" proposal and senior leader Mohan Baidya's "hard-line" stand.
During today's meeting that lasted for about four hours, central leaders including Baburam Bhattarai, Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal, Barsa Man Pun 'Ananta' and Post Bahadur Bogati supported Dahal's document saying that the party should agree on a federal democratic republic set up for the time being and gradually move towards a people's republic.
These central members, who are said to be close to the party establishment, also drew the attention towards the possible "unwanted consequences" if the party moved ahead adopting the policy of a people's republic immediately. “The party should move ahead in accordance with the national and international situation, adopting the strategy of a federal democratic republic for the time being and thus taking the ongoing peace process to a logical end,†a Maoist source quoted a central member as saying during today’s deliberations.
However, central leaders including Netra Bikram Chand, CP Gajurel and Dev Gurung spoke in support of Baidya's proposal and stressed on the need for adopting the strategy of a people's republic at the earliest.
According to sources, Baiday’s supporters warned that the party would be trapped in "revisionism" and that the country’s communist movement could plunge in jeopardy if the adoption of a people’s republic as the party’s immediate strategy was further delayed. Among the 35 central leaders, nine expressed their views during today’s meeting, which will again resume tomorrow morning.
Maoist Chairman and Prime Minister Dahal and leader Baidya had tabled two separate political documents when the party’s CC meeting began on Monday. While Dahal had presented three options—federal democratic republic, people’s republic and transitional republic, Baidya had stressed that there was no alternative to the “immediate adoption of a people’s republic.â€
Both Dahal and Baidya stuck to their own positions during an informal meting of key central leaders at the PM’s Residence at Baluwatar on Tuesday as well. With the deepening ideological rift between the Dahal and Baidya factions, Maoist National Cadres' Assembly, which was said to be held on Thursday (tomorrow) morning, has become uncertain as the CC meeting has protracted further. Journalists were not allowed to enter the premises of Nepal Electricity Authority Training Center in Bhaktapur, the venue of the CC meeting, though they were permitted to go inside on Monday. Maoist cadres barred journalists from entering the meeting venue today as the party concluded that the presence of the media caused “information leakage.†The CPN-M has also issued a directive that no leaders other than the party spokesperson will speak to the media. According to Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara, the meeting will be concluded tomorrow itself and the party's national cadres' assembly will be inaugurated later in the evening.