Baidya, Bhattarai gang up against Dahal

KATHMANDU, June 27: The two factions led by vice-chairmen Mohan Baidya and Dr Baburam Bhattarai in the UCPN (Maoist) are secretly teaming up against party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal with a plan to remove the latter as the parliamentary party (PP) leader.

Insiders from Baidya and Bhattarai factions said that the two camps are working on a plan to replace Dahal with Bhattarai as the PP leader so as to end Dahal´s monopoly in the party. They also added that the two factions are also planning to remove Deputy PP leader Narayankaji Shrestha from the post.


“The proposal is under serious discussion but is yet to be finalized,” Maoist politburo member Devendra Paudel, who is close to Bhattarai told Republica. “We want to give the party a new lease of life by reallocating responsibilities among the top leaders.” He said they are for reshuffling the responsibilities on the basis of one-person-one-post principle.

Party Chairman Dahal holds the position of parliamentary party leader as well as the chief of the party´s military wing.

After the party unified with the CPN (Unity Center -Masal), Dahal had nominated Narayankaji Shrestha as the deputy PP leader to replace Bhattarai.

A leader close to Baidya said they were compelled to initiate the move as the chairman has been reluctant in decentralizing the power concentrated in his hands on the basis of efficiency and expertise of the party cadres. He also accused Dahal of promoting nepotism and favoritism in the party.

The proposal is under serious discussion but is yet to be finalized. We want to give the party a new lease of life by reallocating responsibilities among the top leaders. -- Maoist politburo member Devendra Paudel, who is close to Bhattarai

As 156 lawmakers have already questioned his leadership in the parliamentary party, the chairman has already lost the moral ground to claim leadership in all the fronts. -- A leader close to Baidya
“As 156 lawmakers have already questioned his leadership in the parliamentary party, the chairman has already lost the moral ground to claim leadership in all the fronts,” said a leader close to Baidya preferring anonymity.

On Friday, 156 lawmakers from Baidya and Bhattarai camps submitted a memorandum to Dahal demanding that the party chairman rectify his mistake of not recommending at least 33 percent of women leaders from the party for ministerial berths. They also criticized Dahal for nominating some leaders, who were defeated in the Constituent Assembly (CA) election, for ministerial posts. The number 156 is two thirds of the total strength (234) of the Maoists in parliament.

But a leader close to Dahal challenged the leaders from the two factions to show their strength by mustering majority to replace Dahal from the post of parliamentary party leader. The leaders claimed that the list of 156 lawmakers´ signatures collected on Friday was for a different purpose and asserted that the rival factions can´t secure majority against the party chairman.

“He is ready to quit if they can muster majority against him,” said a leader, close to Dahal.

Kul Prasad KC, who is close to Baidya, claimed that the party has wasted its precious years due to the chairman´s failure to entrust the party leaders with appropriate responsibility.

As the intra-party feud intensifies, leaders from all the three factions held separate gatherings with a view to consolidate their respective positions. Leaders from the three factions held separate meetings until late evening on Sunday as well.

Leaders close to Dahal asserted that they will not strike any compromise with other factions. “The party chairman sought feedbacks from us. We advised him to remain firm in the stance he has taken at the ongoing central committee meeting,” Bishwobhakta Dulal, who is close to party chairman, told Republica.

Party secretary Posta Bahadur Bogati, standing committee member Barshaman Pun, politburo members Janardan Sharma, Agni Sapkota, Haribol Gajurel, Lokendra Bista, Nanda Kishor Pun, Chandra Prakash Khanal, Gopal Kiranti, Hitraj Pandey and Hemanta Prakash Oli were among those attending the gathering. Likewise, Narayankaji Shrestha, Dulal and Bishwonath Sah were also present at the gathering.