Editorial»
Launch aborted
JUN 13 -
Sections of the Nepali Congress have for some years been pushing for the creation of a youth squad along the lines of the Maoists’ Young Communist League (YCL) and the UML’s Youth Force (YF). NC leader Khum Bahadur Khadka has taken a special interest in the formation of what is called the Tarun Dasta, and, along with Sher Bahadur Deuba, was in Sindhupalchok on Saturday to officially launch the youth squad’s formation. Around 500 NC activists in blue uniforms marched to the site where the launch was scheduled to take place. At the last moment, however, party Acting President Sushil Koirala told the leaders to halt the process and threatened them that the party would take action against them if they went on to announce the launch.
Koirala’s move has to be considered principled and appreciated. During the past few years, there has been widespread fear in the Nepali Congress regarding the Maoists’ strength, and there have been extensive discussions on how they could be opposed. Khum Bahadur Khadka, known in Nepali politics for his reliance on muscle power and brute force, has been an advocate of extreme measures, including the use of force to contain the Maoists. And given the nature of the Nepali Congress, which often appears more a loose conglomeration of individuals and factions rather than a cohesive political party, his actions could have been ignored by the party leadership. They could even have tacitly supported it. By opposing Khadka, however, and forbidding him to launch the Tarun Dasta, Koirala has not only taken a firm stand and asserted his authority within the party, he has done so with a view towards the NC’s broader principles and ideology. And this has enhanced his own and his party’s standing in the eyes of the broader public.
Koirala’s action is particularly significant at a time when one of the major issues of dispute between the Maoists and the non-Maoist forces is over the YCL. The Nepali Congress maintains that a party involved in multi-party democratic competition cannot be allowed to possess a militant and violent body. Its opposition to the YCL is presented as being ideological: the Congress believes in a political system where there is liberty for all and nobody is coerced or intimidated. If it had gone ahead and established an organisation that resembles the YCL, its credibility as a democratic party would have been severely undermined, and it would have lost moral authority in its negotiations with the Maoists. Instead, it has shown how the party is indeed committed to practicing what it preaches.
If the Nepali Congress wishes to gain popularity and strength, it has to engage in activity that reflects its core principles. For one, it should focus on expanding its organisation, which is in poor shape in many areas of the country. It should then focus on spreading the message of democracy and non-violence. The task for the Congress is a long-term one. It should act accordingly.
Posted on: 2010-06-14 07:51
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