After the main opposition party in the parliament, Nepali Congress, officially made the decision to stand in the front line in the act of making a new government, political parties in Nepal have started talks among themselves ragarding forming a new coalition as an alternative to the present KP Sharma Oli led government of the CPN (UML). In such, the chairperson of the CPN (Maoist Center), Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) met the leaders of Nepali Congress including Sherbahadur Deuwa on Saturday. Earlier to that, Mr. Dahal had hurriedly returned from Kapilvastu saying the situation was changed and, therefore, he had to talk about the new government formation back in Kathmandu. The change, as mentioned by Mr. Dahal, was the formal decision of the Congress Party taken the previous day.
The trio has expected to reach to a general agreement to form a majority in the parliament before the Maoist Center withdraws its support to prime minister Oli.
But the Maoist Center says the both acts, tabuling the proposal of no-confidence and the withdrawal of support, will take place together. More excited after the congress' last decision, the party's central committee meeting is also scheluded to sit on Sunday. The party is holding talks even with another would-be coalition member, Janata Samajbadi Party, in which the chairperson of the Federal Union, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and the chairperson Upendra Yadav are against Mr. Oli saying the step that Mr. Oli had taken as the prime minister to dissolve the House was unconsitutional as well as retrogressive; so Mr. Oli deserved the post no more. On the other hand, the other chairperson of the same party, Mr. Mahantha Thakur and the senior leader Rajendra Mahato, have continuously been engaged in talks with Mr. Oli since the court's verdict which had seperated the unified Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) so as to remain in the status of earlier to their unification. Mr. Oli's government has already formed a team headed by home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa himself to discuss and decide about the demands- including the release of Resham Chaudhari, a culprit as the court's final verdict- forwarded by the Thakur-Mahato faction of the party.
Following dismissal of the unification of the two parties, UML and Maoist Center, Chairperson Dahal had met president Deuwa three times urging the latter to take initiatives in order to form a new government. However, Congress was confused whether it could gain support even from the Maoist Center itself or not. The main opposition was also aware of the then upcoming action of the Samajbadi Party which was visibly divided into two factions. However, Mr. Deuwa had been keeping an eye on the situation and, he sometimes used to make statements indicating that Congress was ready to head the coalition government if needed.
In this way, the political scenario has now a bit changed its colour. Chairman Dahal showed high confidence in the formation of a new government while speaking during a program in Kapilvastu on Saturday. He insisted the Thakur-Mahato faction of Janata Samajbadi not to stick to Mr. Oli claiming that Mr. Oli didn't want to reimburse the rights of the Madhesies and muslims. He confidently claimed, mentioning the latest decision of the Congress, the new government would come soon then.
Although Maoist Center and Congress are tightly tied up to jump over the current situation, the rifted-to-the-root Samajbadi is still to form a single decision.
Samajbadi has also got the same status like Congress for making a new coalition. In order to form a majority government in the leadership of Nepali Congress, the real existing figure with 61 members of Nepali Congress, 49 of CPN (Maoist Center) and 32 of Janata Samajbadi in the House of representatives, must come together. If not, there is no other way to push Mr. Oli out of the chair.
Having understood that the party has got a huge bargaining opportunity at this moment, prime minister Oli has been trying his best to convince and keep close to a faction of it ignoring whatever price the nation has to pay for his deeds. Mr. Oli has gone to the extent of talking about the release of Culprit Chaudhari, who was found guilty (by the District Court and, later, the verdict was endorsed by the Appeal Court, too), in the incident of Tikapur on 7 Bhadra, 2072, killing 9 people including a police officer, SSP Laxman Neupane, during a protest of dissatisfied Tharu Communities on the issue of the division of the province.
In such a confusing state, it is not easy to speculate if Samajbadi can make an internal agreement as Mr. Dahal and Mr. Deuwa have hoped for, because Thakur-Mahato faction has already travelled much ahead with Mr. Oli. If they are to return taking a U-turn to Deuwa-Dahal's team, the team has to be ready to address their demands, may be more but not less than that assured by Mr. Oli.
Janata Samajbadi's Leader Baburam Bhattarai on Saturday reminded, through a tweet, the Thakur-Mahato faction's leaders not to forget the main objective of the party to throw 'Bhashmasur' Oli out of the position. In spite of Mr. Bhattarai's insistence, the Oli-Thakur knot doesn't seem to be loosened so easily as Mr. Oli has already initiated the process of fulfilling the demands of the Thakur panel.
Anyway, lately started their activities have indicated that the parties are still in political existence. Being alive is better, however, while preparing to create a coalition, if they cross the boarder of national integrity, sovereignty and any other kind of acts violating national unity and social harmony in the short or the long-run, that kind of give and take will never be acceptable to the people of Nepal at any cost. Along with being grouped against the Oli government, it is not less essential to analyze the drawbacks and fatal weaknesses of the present multiparty democratic system, and immediately step forward to seek its alternative. Otherwise, unless the fact is considered and looked for a right treatment, at least nothing other than this will happen; actors and factors will be different, actions and factions will remain the same.
