By Arun Kumar Shrivastav
Nepal’s politics is chugging along pretty cutely! After Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, with 32 members in the House of Representatives of 275 members, took oath as the Prime Minister on December 25, analysts who have been following the politics of the former Himalayan kingdom and recently turned democracy thought the opposition party leaders have given him a walk-over. Given the stamina and passion that Prachanda brings to his job as the nation’s foremost political leader, even opposition regales watching how he steers the country’s political affairs.
Nepal is now going to see an election on March 9 to choose the next President as the incumbent 61-year-old President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s term comes to an end on March 13. As of now, there is no consensus on the name of the new President and the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, has announced fielding of a candidate. Dahal who heads a seven-party alliance and has a 23-member council of ministry, with four deputy prime ministers, was engaged in closed-door meetings with alliance leaders over the selection of a candidate for the President’s election. Dahal’s government is in the power thanks to the support of CPN-UML, which has 78 members in the parliament.
But the distrust between Dahal and CPN-UML Supremo and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is neither new nor final and it’s the talk of the town, right now. The beauty of Nepal’s politics is: everything is manageable. A soft landing is always possible! Unfortunately, the old and decaying fleet of aircraft is an aberration to this beautiful Nepali arrangement. If only the fleets could be modernized!
The distrust has got some new ammunition and it came from Nepali Congress. During the Dahal’s trust vote, Nepali Congress with 82 members in parliament supported Dahal! It means even if Oli’s CPN-UML withdraws the support, Dahal’s government would survive. Now, this gives Dahal more power to counter Oli’s ambitions. As per the arrangement, Dahal should hand over the power to Oli after two-and-a-half years.
Given this twist in the tale, the President’s election in Nepal is something to watch out for. As if this was not enough, speculation over the outgoing president returning to active politics is a favorite dinner-time discussion in Nepal. Although this is unthinkable, the current law doesn’t make it illegal, says CPN-UML deputy general secretary and former foreign minister, Pradeep Gyawali.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s office has received a proposal to build a home for the outgoing president on her private land. Former President Ram Baran Yadav has been provided a rented home for his post-retirement stay. So, Bidya Devi receiving a brand new home built by the government should not be a big issue.
Among the other news coming from Nepal, two huge Shaligram rocks, one weighing 23 tonnes and the other 15 tonnes, have been dispatched for Ayodhya. They will be used to carve out the Ram and Sita idols for the upcoming Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Ram Temple. The lorries bringing these rocks are generating a lot of interest in the press and should possibly be along their long road journey as well. Shaligram rocks, which represent lord Vishnu, are supposed to be found only in the riverbed of Kali Gandaki River in Muktinath, Mustang. Lord Ram is considered to be a reincarnation of lord Vishnu. These rocks are expected to arrive in Ayodhya in early February.
US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland was on a two-day visit to Kathmandu early this week. Nuland is one of the senior-most US diplomats who have worked with George W Bush and Barack Obama, and now working with Joe Biden. She met Dahal and in her talks, she promised $1 billion worth of investments over the next five years in areas such as clean energy, electrification, and SMEs.
As Nepal’s fledgling democracy is moving peacefully ahead, its potential is just getting unleashed. The benefit of a small democracy is that things are utterly manageable. Issues can be heard at a human level, something unimaginable in other South Asian countries, particularly in India, China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. For example, Dahal with 32 members in parliament is virtually having no opposition as even Nepali Congress has voted in his favor during the trust vote. Can you imagine a more pragmatic political environment? Nepal has been a favourite retirement destination for a lot of foreigners. It’s because of the ease of living that it provides. Nepal is also one of the most exciting adventure tourism and eco-tourism destinations in the world.
The new Nepalese PM took the oath of office on Mao’s birthday, this time. And, some media outlets suggest that since Dahal came into power, China has increased its activities in Nepal. But, so far, these media outlets have only found the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu to be the first to send congratulatory messages to Dahal. And it strengthened its workforce with some beautiful women diplomats! That’s just kidding, with some allusion to the former ambassador Hou Yanqi!! (IPA Service)
