From: psycho@MAKALU.STANFORD.EDU (Mr. Knotty Sycho)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nepal
Subject: Factional feuds in Nepali Congress
Date: 6 Apr 92 09:36:05 GMT




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India Today, March 31 

The Challenge Within
Factional feuds rock the ruling Nepali Congress

Fractured by the political differences between Prime Minister G.P. Koirala
and senior leader Ganesh Man Singh, the Nepali Congress seems to have been
rendered recumbent before the challenge of nurturing Nepal's nascent
democracy. Though newly elected party president K.P. Bhattarai managed to
effect a three-month-long ceasefire, the Government and party promise
to cross swords, suggesting the start of an era of coalitions.

Nothing illustrated this stand better than the confusion on the faces
of 4,000 delegates and observers at the party's three-day national convention
at Jhapa last month. The party's eight convention, held after a gap of
32 years, deliberately skirted the leadership tussle. Nevertheless, the 
issue hurtled into the limelight, when Man Singh tore  into Koirala for 
his "casteism, nepotism, inefficiency, high-handedness and defiance". 
At the end of Man Singh's 105-minute recital, Koirala sprang up from his
seat to declare: "If the supreme leader of the party is annoyed with me,
I am willing to quit here and now."

Sensing the damage this power play could cause the party's prospects in
the coming elections to local bodies, Bhattarai has sought a temporary
truce. But many believe that Man Singh would not be averse to ousting 
Koirala, splitting the Nepali Congress and forming a Bhattarai-led 
coalition with the United Marxist Leninist (UML), which has 70 members
in the 205 member House of Representatives. In fact, the Jhapa convention
even lauded the UML's role during the struggle for democracy. Added to
this was the statement of CPI national council member, Chandra Ketu
Sharma, that the Nepali Congress and the UML could come to a working
understanding.

For now, Koirala's problems with his party threaten to continue. His 
followers wanted a drastic amendment to the party constitution, rescinding 
the right of the party president to nominate the central committee
members, but he couldn't push it through. The prime minister's 
unofficial adviser, Sushil Koirala, even submitted the draft for the 
new constitution. And the Koirala's niece and the cabinet minister,
Sailaja Acharya, questioned Bhattarai's "hasty" election.

Clearly, Koirala has been forewarned. In his speech at the convention, 
he muttered darkly about danger to party unity. But it is not clear
whether he has armed himself for the battle ahead. Already, party
workers are unhappy with the "lack of coordination" among the three
leaders. In fact, senior parliamentarian Surya Bhakta Adhikary received
prolonged applause as he stood up at the convention to lambast the troika
for promoting a "culture of sycophancy at the cost of genuine workers".

However, Man Singh shows no signs of switching heat on Koirala. He has
asserted that he will not allow democracy to die. "I will come back to
active politics if things do not go right," says he. Many workers see in 
his attitude the hand of erstwhile "royalists". At least three former
royalists- Jivraj Kunwar, Rishi Kumar Pande, both ex-armymen close to the 
palace, and Manik Lal Bajracharaya, a controversial civil servant who
was posted to New Delhi- are now advisers to Man Singh. As a member of
the outgoing central committee puts it: "I do not think that Man Singh
is aware of a serious conspiracy by the palace to use him as a pawn."
Palace sources, however, vehemently deny the allegations.

But for every moment that the infighting drags out, the Left and
panchayat remnants gain time to regroup. And the little kingdom's
troubles multiply.             -----------YUBARAJ GHIMIRE in Jhapa


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