After Maoist Supremo Prachanda breathed out an uncontrolled fire against the Nepali Congress (NC) and the United Marxist-Leninist (UML) stating that he would have talks with India directly because the ruling parties, Indian slaves according to him, ignored the Opposition’s seven month-long protests, NC and UML leaders have immediately begun retaliating saying that Maoists are the exact slaves of India. Prime Minister and UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, his colleagues Khadga Oli and Jhalanath Khanal have already accused Maoists of trying to invite Indian interference into Nepal’s internal affairs.
Narayan Man Bijuckchhe, a local leader of Bhaktapur district, has also labeled a similar accusation on the Maoists. He has time and again stated that Maoists are anti-Nepal. He has even demanded a military rule as soon as possible. When President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, who instructed former Army Chief Katawal to disobey the elected government, went to dine with Bijuckchhe about a month ago, he urged the president to take immediate actions to dissolve the elected Constituent Assembly and impose a Presidential rule backed by the Army.
Several NC leaders have also met the president and demanded for the military rule. Ashok Rai, UML Deputy Chair, has already spilled out a secret proposition by some Nepali Congress leaders for the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and the imposition of military rule.
Defense Minister and UML leader Biddhya Bhandari, the widow of allegedly murdered UML then General Secretary Madan Bhandari, has already promoted one army general accused of disappearing 49 detainees in a barrack in Kathmandu. She has apparently defied the requests by national and international human rights agencies not to promote an accused official. Instead, she has stood for purchasing more weapons and war materials.
These recent happenings have posed serious questions before the three-year peace process. Conflict communicators and analysts must heed these questionable happenings.