On April 25th, a "Letter to the Editor" appeared in the leading Nepali language Kantipur newspaper from Baburam Bhattarai, one of the leaders of the CPN(M). The letter sets out a clear understanding of the revolutionary moment, and warns the parliamentary politicians that were they to attempt a new arrangement with the King they would be swept aside.The king came out saying he is for taking the country ahead "according to the road map of the agitating Seven Party Alliance." (18 Days Of April Revolution: Victory) After victory, the seven party alliance has time and again expressed its commitment to that same roadmap. The roadmap leads to a constituent assembly. And so this saber rattling on the part of the Maoists is uncalled for.
One can understand that the Maoists might want to try and drive a hard bargain in what they expect to be an integration of the two armies, but you don't go about doing that by trying to sabotage the very process that might make such an integration possible.
The Maoists need to engage in trust building, not in posturing. Their posturing is not helping the cause of constituent assembly.
The Nepali Congress might have talked of a constituent assembly half a century ago. Heck, that party even picked up arms back then. But it is the Maoists who have taken the lead on the idea of a constituent assembly this past decade. Parties like the Sadbhavana might claim they have been asking for a constituent assembly for a longer period of time, but it is the Maoists who brought the issue to the center of the country's politics. I give them credit for that. The seven party alliance came around to the idea of a constituent assembly only much later.
But now is not the time to bicker on such finesse.
The April Revolution was a superb experiment in non-violence. Not even the seven party alliance saw it coming. The original April 6-9 program grew into a tsunami of people across the country and surprised both the SPA and the Maoists. Both have rushed to take credit. The credit goes to the people.
The Maoists need to stop trying to pressure the seven party alliance to head for a constituent assembly when that is precisely what the seven parties are trying to do, on their own. The seven parties don't need convincing, and they are very much on schedule. The alliance is on track.
The worst part of this Maoist posturing and saber rattling is that the worst fears about the Maoists start to come alive. Are we going to see a new round of civil war with the state army on the side of the seven parties? Will the seven parties end up seeking military aid from India, America and Europe should that happen? Those questions arise. So the Maoists need to stop pushing and start behaving.
I am not being naive. We have to maitain vigilance. There might be members and cliques of the old, discredited regime that might make attempts to spoil the party, even if unsuccessfully. And we have to watch out for that. But you don't do that by unnecessarily hammering the seven party alliance. You are beating the wrong drum when you are beating up on the seven party alliance at this point in time.
So Baburam, Prachanda, chill. Take it easy. The roadmap to the constituent assembly is very much on track. Focus your energies on the peace talks that are next. Organize rallies and mass meetings. Prepare for the next steps. Prepare for the constituent assembly. Stop badgering the seven party alliance.
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