E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, JUN 12 -

The rift between UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya reached a new height with both factions holding separate meetings of cadres and leaders loyal to them.

Dahal and Baidya are at loggerheads ever since the former took the line of peace and constitution on April 30, decided to accept Nepal Army’s proposal on army integration and end the dual security system of Maoist leaders. The miffed Baidya faction has intensified its campaign countrywide.

The Baidya faction has circulated a two-page document to leaders and cadres alleging that Dahal is deviating from the official revolutionary line, putting aside the issue of national independence, heading towards a democratic republic instead of “people’s republic”, disarming the combatants in the name of integration, accepting Indian investment in hydropower sector, abusing party funds and attempting to maintain relations with the Indian intelligence.

On Saturday, the Dahal faction held two separate meetings with leaders and cadres loyal to them, while the Baidya faction held one meeting. All meetings were held in Kathmandu. A leader close to Dahal said they o held separate meetings after the hardline faction launched an anti-Dahal campaign. Dahal, however, was absent from both meetings.

At a meeting of Dahal loyalists, mainly civil servants and intellectual groups, at Pulchowk, pro- Dahal party Secretary Post Bahadur Bogati clarified the “official line” of the party and urged them not to be misled by the “propaganda” spread by the Baidya faction.

At another meeting held at Khanna Garment, which was attended by over 400 representatives of the party’s district contact committees and leaders including Bogati, Narayan Dahal and Onsair Gharti Magar, the Dahal faction urged cadres  to stay firm .

Interestingly, in both meeting cadres supporting Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai faction were present. The Baidya faction boycotted the meetings.

“We invited all cadres and leaders but the Baidya faction was absent,” said Central Committee CC member Narayan Dahal. “The meeting was organized to clear confusion and misinformation about the party’s official line,” said Dahal claiming that it was not a factional meeting though it was summoned to discuss the growing intra-party rift.

The Baidya faction, that held separate meeting of leaders and cadres at Anandakuti School in Swoyambhu, focused mainly on preparing its “strategy”. Baidya and Standing Committee member Dev Gurung, who addressed the meeting, laboured to expose the “misdeeds” of Chairman Dahal.     

Baidya’s proposal: ‘Tread mid-ground’

POST REPORT

Maoist Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya has proposed an ‘interim’ measure to manage the intra-party rift till the next general convention.

He has proposed the party could go along with differences till the convention “only if the leadership does not muzzle dissenting voices and allows free space in all tiers.”

The Maoist top trio—Dahal, Baidya and Baburam Bhattarai—has reached a tacit understanding that the general convention, which is the party’s highest authority, is the only way to manage growing differences among them. For the last 18 years, the party has not held the convention, which can among other things, elect a new leadership. Though a date for the convention has not been fixed, the leaders have agreed that it could be held after the peace process and statue writing are complete.

Baidya, who has been most vocal in demanding the convention, had tabled the proposal at the party’s Standing Committee meeting last week stating that he could wait for the conclave only if an interim measure is adopted to acknowledge and address the differences. His proposal demands that the party change its earlier five-point agreement to restrict the leaders from discussing their dissent among the party’s lower levels.         

The five-point deal adopted to manage the growing intra-party rift after the Palungtar plenum states that the leaders cannot take their notes of dissent for discussion at the regional and district level and that they cannot speak against the party’s immediate official line. The policy only allows leaders to discuss “purely ideological” differences.

Baidya finds himself at odds with the restrictive policy as he has registered several notes of dissent over the party’s political decisions—including the Dahal-backed decision to adopt the line of peace and constitution, accept Nepal Army’s modality on integration and end the dual security system of Maoist leaders.

Baidya’s formula has come amid fears in the party rank and file that the growing rift between the two leaders might lead the party towards a split.

“We have proposed that the intra-party rift could be managed if the party allows speaking and holding discussion on our note of dissent not only on ideological issues but also political ones,” said Secretary CP Gajurel. “Even Chairman Dahal has taken our proposal positively.”

The Baidya faction has stated that a few tweaks in the five-point deal to recognize its demand would be sufficient at present to manage the intra-party rift.

The party had adopted the restrictive policy last year after Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai registered a series of notes of dissent over the party’s policy to adopt “people’s revolt”.

The restrictions, however, have hardly stopped the leaders from speaking against what is called the party’s “official line”. “Leaders are openly speaking against the official line of the party and holding separate meetings. So, why not make it formal by changing the very policy,” said a Baidya confidante.

Posted on: 2011-06-12 08:37

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