Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Koirala Has To Be Beat At His Own Game

andolan1Image by paramendra via Flickr

Gachchhadar faces action Earlier on Thursday morning, Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala asked Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal over the phone to appoint Gachchhadar as deputy prime minister ..... Koirala made the request to Nepal after he held a meeting with Gachchhadar at Koirala residence at Maharajgunj. NC leader Khum Bahadur Khadka accompanied Gachchhadar during the meeting.
Girija Koirala has to be beat at his own game for his recent foul play with the MJF. The need of the hour is to bring the party back from the brink of a vertical split and reunify it.

Upendra Yadav has to face the fact that him becoming Prime Minister was never an option this past month. Prachanda was never serious about the offer. The way for a MJF person to become Prime Minister is by winning big in the election next year. And you can't even win if you split the party, let alone win big.

A sane revival plan for the Nepali Congress would be to usher in a new era of internal democracy, to say good bye to the culture of nepotism. A sane revival plan would be to try and meet the aspirations of the Madhesi people who until recently were the base of that party. But instead the Nepali Congress is worse today on internal democracy and nepotism than it was last year. It stands clueless on federalism and security sector reform. Those who talk of the five development regions are not talking about federalism.

The Nepali Congress will see a bigger defeat next year than it did last year. The MJF decimated the Nepali Congress last year in the Terai. Next year the MJF has to wipe out the Nepali Congress from the Terai. For that the MJF has to stay united.

Splitting the party makes absolutely no sense.

Internal democracy means Upendra Yadav might no longer be leading the party down the line. At the next convention the party might elect someone else. That is the democratic way. If all the Madhesi parties unite, as I hope they do before the elections next year, then that unified party would hold a new convention. That convention would elect a new leader to the party. That new leader could be anybody. Could be Upendra Yadav, could be Bijay Gachhedar, could be Hridayesh Tripathy, could be Rajendra Mahto, could be Sarita Giri, could be Jay Prakash Gupta. It is for the democratic process to decide who. And once decided there has to be a post election reconciliation among all the contenders for the top job.

Critiquing Upendra Yadav's Leadership Style

His primary downside has been that he does not consult enough. Someone in his position needs to constantly be consulting with all his MPs, all members of his central committee, as many district leaders as possible. Keep alive as many bilateral channels of communication as possible. Seek out a wide range of people to ask for their opinions before making decisions small and big. Make people feel included in all decision making processes. Have robust discussions among the top leaders on a wide variety of topics on a regular basis. This is something he needs to work on.

The MJF Must Stay Intact
MJF: Is Reconciliation Possible?
The MJF Drama

Sketch portrait of Girija Prasad Koirala, Prim...Image via Wikipedia


MJF Will Emerge Stronger
I Give Madhav Nepal Six Months
Upendra Yadav Is Going To Lead The MJF In The New Government
The Army Issue Has To Be Discussed In The Parliament
MJF: No Harm Done
Upendra Yadav Should Be Leading The MJF Team In The New Government
Contents 2009
Contents 2008
Contents 2007
Contents 2006 (2)
Contents 2006
Contents 2005
MJF: Upendra Yadav Is The Leader

In The News

MPRF toward vertical split after Gachchhadar faction claims official party Republica Sixteen Central Committee (CC) members of the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) led by senior leader Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar filed a petition at the Election Commission claiming the party´s name, flag and symbol, thereby pushing the party ultimately toward an unavoidable split. ....... The NGO-turned party, the fourth largest in the Constituent Assembly (CA), has been facing an internal conflict over the last one month after the fall of the Maoist-led government on May 4. ....... Gachchhadar said he was compelled to move the Election Commission after the Yadav-faction turned down repeated offers over the last five days for reconciliation and unity in the party.

andolan5Image by paramendra via Flickr

....... Gachchhadar said that the party can still remain intact if the action taken against the seven leaders is revoked. ..... “They are no longer our party´s members and any move by them is not legal,” said Yadav ..... A telephone interview of 32 CC members done by myrepublica.com on Monday had found 11 members supporting Gachchhadar.
Gachchhadar claims majority in CC, stakes claim for being official
NC, UML cadres warned to leave village
Neither faction has majority in MPRF central committee
3 contenders for home ministry in UML
Gachchhadar claims majority in CC, stakes claim for being official

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The MJF Must Stay Intact

Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum, NepalImage via Wikipedia

The most important thing for now is to make sure the MJF does not split. If joining the Madhav Nepal government keeps the MJF intact, the party should join the government. If staying outside the government keeps the MJF intact, the party should stay outside the government. If keeping Bijay Gachhedar Deputy Prime Minister keeps the MJF intact, Gachhedar should stay on as Deputy Prime Minister. If making Upendra Yadav Deputy Prime Minister keeps the MJF intact, Yadav should be made Deputy Prime Minister.

The MJF was a party born out of identity politics. That identity politics has gone one step further. The Yadavs, Tharus, and the Muslims are three equally numerous, proud groups in the Terai. The Yadavs have to remember that. If the MJF central committee has too many Yadavs, the parliamentary party has a better balance of Yadavs and non-Yadavs.

gonarpuraImage by paramendra via Flickr


It is a good thing if the party has several strong personalities at the central level. Upendra Yadav is a Yadav. Gachhedar is a Tharu. Gupta is a non-Yadav. Karima Begam is a Muslim. Sharad Singh Bhandari is a Pahadi origin Teraiwasi whose family has lived in the Terai a few generations. Those are all important constituent groups in the Terai. It is important to strike the right power balances and keep the party intact.
  • Upendra Yadav and Bijay Gachhedar, meet in person, one on one.
  • Jay Prakash Gupta, Sharad Singh Bhandari, make that happen. (Bhandari won by a margin of a hundred votes last year. If the party splits, he is not coming back to the parliament, that part is guaranteed.)
  • Seek a compromise formula.
  • Let Bijay Gachhedar keep the DPM chair for six months, and Upendra Yadav for the other six months. This government is going to last but a year max.
  • Seek a powerful ministry for Upendra Yadav.
  • Bargain for the maximum number of berths for the MJF in the cabinet.
  • Bring back all the expelled leaders.
  • Keep the party intact.
Putting The MJF Fire Out
MJF: Is

andolan5Image by paramendra via Flickr

Reconciliation Possible?
The MJF Drama
MJF Will Emerge Stronger
I Give Madhav Nepal Six Months
Upendra Yadav Is Going To Lead The MJF In The New Government
The Army Issue Has To Be Discussed In The Parliament

andolan2Image by paramendra via Flickr


MJF: No Harm Done
Upendra Yadav Should Be Leading The MJF Team In The New Government
Contents 2009
Contents 2008
Contents 2007
Contents 2006 (2)

andolan3Image by paramendra via Flickr


Contents 2006
Contents 2005
MJF: Upendra Yadav Is The Leader
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