Maoist boss carries the day, yet again

KATHMANDU, JUL 25 -

The Central Committee (CC) meeting of UCPN (Maoist) concluded on Monday after endorsing party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s proposal on peace, constitution and government—with the hardliners refraining from writing a note of dissent for the first time in months.

This clearly gives Dahal the backing of even the hardline faction led by Mohan Baidya, at least till Aug. 31, the current deadline of Constituent Assembly (CA).

The CC also formally endorsed the name of Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai as the party’s candidate for the prime ministerial berth.

The CC meeting prolonged after the Bhattarai and Baidya faction demanded that issues related to internal power sharing be settled first before taking a decision on issues of peace and constitution.

The endorsement of Dahal’s proposal, which contains the party’s ‘bottom line’ on contentious issues of peace and constitution, has paved the way for him Dahal to resume discussions with other political parties. The resolution of Maoists’ internal differences is likely to provide impetus to peace and statute drafting while allowing the resumption of the regular meeting of the Special Committee on Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist combatants.

The CC has mandated the party’s Standing Committee to take a final call on organisational reshuffling.

The Bhattarai and Baidya faction of UCPN (Maoist) submitted the signatures of 73 Central Committee members to Chairman Dahal on Monday. The number is one short of 50 percent in the 148-member CC.

The Bhattarai- Baidya alliance had launched the signature campaign demanding ‘scientific allocation’ of responsibilities to party leaders to ensure collective leadership in the party. On basis of the signature drive, the alliance managed to put pressure on the Chairman to heed their demands. Both sides are also disputing the actual strength of the CC. Leaders close to Dahal say the actual membership of CC is 149, but the Baidya-Bhattarai alliance insists it is 146.

Meanwhile, the Dahal faction has objected to the signature campaign stating that it is ‘anarchic and an ‘imitation of bourgeois culture.’

For now Dahal has got the party behind him, but it remains to be seen if he can implement the decision of the party.