Nepal- End of Kingship & Rise of Maoism

Nepal, a kingdom in the foot of the Himalayas in South Asia has area about 147181 square kilometers, is passing through a phase of historic political change these days. Nepal is surrounded by China & Tibet in the North & by India in the South West & Western areas. It is about 800kms long & 200kms broad. The kingship that has been in this small country for the last hundred of years is going to meet an end. Nepal is the only country of the world that has more than 85% of its population having the Hindu faiths. This percentage is even more than the percentage of Hindus in India. That's why Nepal was known & recognized as a Hindu nation. But this neighbour of India is going to write a new dictation of political change, that's being seen with wonder by the whole world. Last days, the general elections were held in Nepal & the Nepal Communist Party (Maoism) got a great success. The elections were held on the 601 seats of Nepali parliament. There was a direct election of the candidates on its 240 seats & on 365 seats; there was election by proportional representation. In the election by proportional representation, the voters elected the preferred parties instead of the candidates. In these elections the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) got a fair success & came out as the major political party of the country. There is a great possibility that the Maoists will propose the name of their chief, Pushp kamal Dehal Prachand as the Prime Minister of Nepal. As there is no office of the President so it is expected that after the organization of the government by the Maoists, they would amend the constitution of Nepal & keep an office of the President & make Prachand the first President of Nepal. It is known that Prachand 54, who is going to decorate the highest office in Nepal, has been a school teacher & a Brahmin by birth. Under his leadership, the Maoists had challenged the kingship. He has created the circumstances of civil war for Nepal government & Nepal army. About 13000 persons lost their lives in this civil war. After a long struggle for many years, in November 2006, the Maoists had decided to be active in the main stream of politics & leave the path of violence. After that, because of intermediation of the United Nations Organisation, there was an attempt to put trust among the Nepal government being run under the Nepal kingship, the Nepal Army & the Maoists. Under these attempts, the Maoists were made to agree to end the civil war in Nepal, to leave the path of violence & to have discussion with the Nepal public by taking part in the democratic elections. In 2006, an interim government was established under the agreement between the Maoists & Nepal government. The Maoists also joined it. This interim government declared the end of the kingship in Nepal & the word, a Hindu nation with Nepal was also abolished. It was declared as a secular state.

As the time of handing over the power to the Maoism in Nepal is drawing near, all the world is looking curiously at this historical political change in Nepal very minutely. The persons who were in lakhs, who were known as terrorists in the past, who ran the training camps in the forests & who possessed many illegal weapons are going to take over the reigns of government in Nepal. The world is observing the fact that how the Nepal Army & Nepal security agencies that were struggling against the Maoists will sing their tunes together. One thing that worries, the results of the general election reveal that Maoists have entered the Nepal Parliament as the biggest political party but according to the fresh results they have not secured the absolute majority. After the declaration of complete results, if they get the absolute majority, then they would be able to make one party government, otherwise they will have to take help of the other political party to run the government. If such situation arises, a problem may come to forefront that the Maoist thoughts don't agree with the thoughts of other parties. The main reason is that there is basic difference between their thoughts & the Maoists can't work on cooperation basis.

Will the attitude of the Maoists be aggressive after coming into power as before & during the struggle with the Nepal government & the Nepal Army? Or there will be a revolutionary change? To know this, the statements of the Maoist leaders given about the Nepal king Raja Gyanendra have to be observed minutely. As the end of kingship was declared with the formation of interim government but the drawing near of the time of election made the Maoists feel that they would win the power in elections. As the time passed, the attitude of the Maoists became stern against the king Gyanendra. Even it is said that the Royal Palace of King Gyanendra, 'Narayanhiti' at Kathmandu will be got vacated. There was also the news that the king could be arrested & put in jail. A few days ago, there was news that king Gyanendra would leave Nepal & take asylum in India. The fresh statement given by a senior Maoist leader about King Gyanendra states that the king would be asked to vacate this palace as it represents the kingship, but he will be given a chance to live in another palace in Nepal. It can be guessed that there is a possibility of a revolutionary change in the thought & actions of the Maoists when they were not in power & when they are in power.

Anyhow the Nepal Communist Party is going to take the powers in Nepal. As this party claims to be representative of the workers, the labour & the poor, so there is a great hope among the workmen when this party takes the power into its hands. If the Maoists come true to the hopes of the workmen, the labour & the farmers & are able to give them structural relief, as is hoped by them, then they must be given a warm welcome in the governments. But with that they need to fill their gap of difference with the high class, the capitalists & the industrialists. Because for the progress of the country, they must establish cooperation among the high & the low, the rich & the poor, the haves & the haves not, the landlords & the tenants & the industrialists & the workers. It should be hoped that the Maoists will give a happy & progressive rule in Nepal & at the same time, they will strengthen the bonds of friendship & love that are there for last hundreds of years between Nepal & their neighbor & cooperative country India.