Breaking News: Nepal PM Prachanda resigns blames India

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Nepal PM Prachanda resigns

KATHMANDU: They had fought a 10-year war from underground with success to overthrow the powerful royal family but Nepal’s Maoist party’s new battle against the army chief, Gen Rookmangud Katawal, ended in utter rout for the former guerrillas, forcing party supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda to announce his resignation as prime minister in a televised address to the nation Monday. ( Watch )

While exiting, the 55-year-old former revolutionary trained his sights on Nepal’s first president, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, accusing the head of state of trying to set up a parallel power centre and taking the “unconstitutional and undemocratic” move to reinstate the general, whom the Maoists had sacked Sunday. He said he was quitting to create a conducive atmosphere for democracy and the peace process.

The fall of Prachanda’s eight-month-old government was on the cards after his five-party coalition government split vertically over Katawal’s dismissal. While two allies, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) and Sadbhavana Party, walked out of the government Sunday opposing the dismissal, the two remaining partners, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum and Communist Party of Nepal (United), boycotted an emergency cabinet Monday, clearly indicating that the Maoists had become isolated.

Soon after the desertions, the opposition, former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s Nepali Congress (NC), asked Prachanda to resign, threatening to bring a no-trust vote in the interim parliament if he tried to stay on with the support of the fringe parties.

Leaving with all guns blazing, the Maoist chief also blamed the opposition and his own allies as well as India for his government’s failure to meet people’s expectations, saying there was a conspiracy to kill Nepal’s “infant republic”.

While he accused the opposition parties of calling strikes at the drop of a hat and obstructing parliament, New Delhi, without being named, was accused of intervention. The Maoist prime minister said that though his government had wanted cordial relations with its neighbours, it would at no cost kow-tow to foreign powers or depend on them to save its seat of power.

With the exit of the Maoists, the UML began parleys with the NC to come up with an alternative government. “The NC could support a UML-led government from outside,” said NC foreign affairs chief and Koirala’s daughter Sujata Koirala. “However, we are stressing on consensus and completion of the peace process within the stipulated time.”

UML chief Jhalanath Khanal said his party would convene a meeting of all 25 parliamentary parties, including the Maoists, Tuesday to discuss a consensus government.

While Prachanda is unlikely to rejoin a UML-led cabinet, Maoist Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai said his party could extend support or even join the new government if it rectified the “unconstitutional measures taken by the president”.

These would include freshly dismissing the army chief, who was reinstated by the president last night, and also removing the president. In his exit address, Prachanda indicated that the Maoists would now start a new struggle against the president.

With anti and pro-Maoist rallies keeping up pressure Monday, the district authorities enforced prohibitory orders near the army headquarters and presidential residence, banning all rallies and demonstrations.

Though there was no immediate reaction from the former royal family, a former aide, who did not want to be named, said deposed crown prince Paras would be delighted with the Maoist humbling. “The threat of a new investigation into the palace massacre that might have implicated his family – rightly or intentionally – is now gone,” he said. “The Maoist exit will also allow Paras to explore the possibility of extending his sphere of influence in Nepal. Maybe now he will launch the party he said he wanted to.”

Ban calls for consensus
“The Secretary-General is seriously concerned about the current political crisis in Nepal centred on the relationship between the Government and the Chief of Army Staff and the possible risks posed to the peace process,” a statement issued by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office in New York said. “The Secretary-General calls on all concerned to resolve the crisis through dialogue and consensus, with full respect for the provisions of the constitution.”


Nepal PM Prachanda resigns - South Asia - World - The Times of India

 

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION-Yesterday's News

Big jolt to India as Nepal sacks army chief

KATHMANDU/NEW DELHI: Thumbing a nose at India, Nepal's Maoist PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal `Prachanda' sacked army chief Rukmangad Katuwal on Sunday, a
move that could result in the new Maoist government toppling soon. ( Watch )

It's a huge setback for India, because South Block had pushed hard to retain the army chief. Prachanda's decision has made India look very silly, because all of India's highly visible pressure diplomacy - with the Indian ambassador virtually camping at Prachanda's doorstep - came to nought.

After Sunday, India is getting ready to back an "alternative" - a coalition of the Girija Prasad Koirala-led Nepali Congress
, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) and the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF).

Soon after Katuwal's removal, four allies of the Maoists - UML, MJF, Sadbhavana Party and Communist Party of Nepal (United) - distanced themselves.

With the UML pulling out of the government soon after, Prachanda's government is teetering, leaving the field open for another combination of parties to take centrestage. Prachanda had been stopped from sacking Katuwal last week because India had piled on a lot of pressure. Prachanda was smarting from the Indian pressure and determined to go ahead.

India's pressure was interpreted as interference in Nepal's internal affairs, as it was seen to be propping up the army chief personally, because he is a graduate of NDA and IMA, apart from being an adopted child of the late King Mahendra, Gyanendra's father. Sources in Delhi said the tide turned against India in Nepal decisively after deposed king Gyanendra dropped by to visit Sonia Gandhi here recently.

That cost India dear, specially as Prachanda is determined to distance himself and his nation from New Delhi. Nepalese media also reported that the army had been planning a "soft coup" if Prachanda went ahead, which stopped the government in its tracks. But that concern does not seem to have had much impact on Sunday. India's big worry in Nepal is that the passage from a democracy to a Maoist dictatorship could well become reality.

India's image and influence has taken a beating in Nepal through the current crisis. Backing a new political formation (NC-UML-MJF) in Kathmandu is no credible solution, said sources. It's unlikely to last, because no government will be able to pass anything through Parliament without the Maoists' support.

Back in New Delhi, there is a growing perception that India has messed up in Nepal. In fact, even before Sunday's act, Prachanda had indicated that the 12-point agreement worked out in Delhi between the Nepal parties should be scrapped. Sources said a new ambassador to Nepal could be a possibility after the new government comes in here.

The continuing struggle over the army chief had even prevented Prachanda from travelling to Beijing this week. Even there, India is on a different page, because it has objected to Prachanda contemplating signing a treaty of friendship with Beijing.

In any case, the gloves are now ready to come off in India's relationship with the Maoist government and relations are likely to get much worse in the foreseeable future.

Katuwal's removal, after a two-month standoff, also comes just about three months before he was due to retire. "The cabinet has decided to remove the army chief since he could not provide a satisfactory explanation to the three charges levied by the government," Maoist information and communications minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is also the spokesman of the government, said after the cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Katuwal had been asked to explain why he had continued military recruitment despite the government's halt order and reinstated eight brigadier-generals who had been retired by the defence ministry. He was also rapped over the army pulling out of the National Games when Maoist combatants too decided to take part.
Big jolt to India as Nepal sacks army chief - South Asia - World - The Times of India

 

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Nepal govt blames India for debacle

KATHMANDU: As Nepal's first Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda announced his resignation in a televised address to the nation after an escalating quarrel with allies and President Ram Baran Yadav, a senior minister in the outgoing cabinet blamed India for the debacle, saying New Delhi's bureaucrats had committed an "enormous blunder".

"India supported the army and the president in their unconstitutional acts against democratic forces," Maoist finance minister Baburam Bhattarai said. "It was an enormous blunder. It is going to cost India all the goodwill it earned by supporting the pro-democracy movement during King Gyanendra's regime".

The Maoist leader, who had earlier said he had learnt the ABC of Marxism in New Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he was a doctorate student in the 80s, blamed the "bureaucrats" in New Delhi for the fall of the Maoist government.

"The politicians are busy with the elections and the decisions are being taken by blundering bureaucrats," he said. "The Indian people and parties should take note of this and India should review its bureaucracy policy."

While announcing his resignation, Prachanda had accused the opposition, some of his own allies and "foreign powers", meaning India, of conspiring against his eight-month government and encouraging the president to work outside his constitutional role by abetting the army.

Bhattarai said his party would now begin a struggle on the streets and from the floor of interim parliament to amend the President's unconstitutional move to reinstate the army chief Gen Rookmangud Katawal, who was sacked by his party Sunday.

However, he said that the new struggle would be a peaceful one.

"Both Katawal and Ram Baran Yadav must be sacked since they acted against the constitution," he said. "Till that is done, we will continue our struggle."

Bhattarai also said that his party would start impeachment proceedings against the president.

If the Maoists' former allies, the communists, move to form a new government supported by the opposition Nepali Congress, Bhattarai said his party would consider supporting or joining it if it takes steps against the president.

In 2006, India had brought the Maoists, who were then an underground party, and the mainstream Nepali parties together who unitedly began a pro-democracy movement that ended King Gyanendra's army-backed regime.

But since the Maoists won the election last year and came to power — against New Delhi's expectations, relations between the two soured.

Nepal govt blames India for debacle - South Asia - World - The Times of India