5 January, Kathmandu. The party chairman became the prime minister. The senior vice president has also become a minister. Who will run the party now?’
This is the concern and mixed curiosity that can be found in many people when they reach the office of the Maoist center, which has recently been promoted from a supporter of the government to a leader.
Senior Vice President Narayankaji Shrestha, who is the second ranking member of the Maoists, has also joined the government as the Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport along with the Deputy Prime Minister. The Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister should be more focused on the work of the government.
Prachanda may not be able to participate in activities other than the main work of the party this time because he said ‘to talk less and do more’.
“When the party president is the prime minister and after him the senior vice president is also a minister, they should focus on the work of the government,” says one of the leaders of the Maoist center.
Perhaps this question would not have arisen if the next ranking leader had been outside the government when the president became the prime minister. According to the leaders, no one has been appointed as to who will lead the day-to-day activities of the party.
No acceptable leader
Vice President Krishna Bahadur Mahara and General Secretary Dev Gurung are currently not MPs after Prachanda and Narayankaji. While Mahara did not contest the election, Dev Gurung was defeated in Lamjung.
Out of the seven deputy general secretaries, only Barshman Pun, Janardhan Sharma and Shakti Basnet are MPs. It seems certain that both Pun and Sharma will not join the government. There is talk within the Maoists that Basnet may go to the government.
Due to the defeat of the election, Deputy General Secretary Pampha Bhusal, Girirjamani Pokharel, Haribol Gajurel and Matrika Yadav will not hold any political or parliamentary role.
After the vice president and general secretary, the role of deputy general secretaries and secretaries is considered to be party management and organization building. However, the Maoist leaders say that they are not in a position to accept anyone because other leaders who have influence in the organization also run their own factions.
Similarly, only Devendra Poudel has won the election among the secretaries. According to top Maoist sources, he who was the education minister in the previous government is unlikely to repeat himself now.
Chakrapani Khanal, Hitman Shakya, Dilaram Acharya and other secretaries who can organize are not MPs this time. Therefore, from the vice-president to the secretaries, many people have time to work on party building.
In the Communist Party, after the president, the general secretary is considered to be the most powerful. The president is considered the policy and the general secretary is the leader of the organization.
In the absence of Prachanda, it seems likely that the responsibility of running the party will fall on the part of Vice President Mahara and General Secretary Gurung. ‘The daily work of the party is run by friends who are not in power,’ says Vice President Mahara, ‘I am Dev Gurungji.’
Mahara and Gurung Akkalzhukkal, who have become leisurely, are seen at the party office. Gurung has increased participation in some party programs outside the valley.
However, there are not many leaders within the Maoists who are confident that they run the organization. ‘Vice President Mahara can’t do it due to health,’ says an official, ‘The General Secretary also has an old style.’
After the vice president and general secretary, the role of deputy general secretaries and secretaries is considered to be party management and organization building. However, the Maoist leaders say that they are not in a position to accept anyone because other leaders who have influence in the organization also run their own factions.
After Chairman Prachanda in Maoist, Deputy General Secretary Pun and Sharma are considered to be leaders in the organization. However, Pun and Sharma have their own factions all over the country. Aiming in this direction, President Prachanda has sometimes expressed that the factionalism within the party is making him a victim. ‘Why do we need a party if we only run factions, let’s dissolve it,’ Prachanda has repeatedly said.
The Maoists formed an inquiry committee after the local elections saying that they had to be defeated in many places in Lumbini, Madhesh Province, Sudurpaschim and Province 1 because of the faction. The report submitted by the committee led by the head of Discipline Commission, Tank Rai, has not been made public yet.
Pun and Sharma have claimed for the leadership of the party. Prachanda promoted Dev Gurung as the third person because both of them claimed to be the general secretary. They also have a claim on the deputy leader of the parliamentary party.
“Nobody is worried about forming a party,” says a Maoist leader, “They are not a party, they just run their faction.”
Similarly, there is a faction of Deputy General Secretary Girirajmin Pokharel and Matrika Yadav in Madhesh province. Due to the factional fighting of both of them, the Maoists in Madhesh are becoming very weak.
In the local elections of 2074, the Maoists who won 20 municipalities in Madhesh have been limited to 9 municipalities this time. Pokharel and Yadav were defeated in the federal election. Mahindra Rai Yadav of Nepal Samajwadi Party saved the Maoists from being zero in Madhesh.
Even though the state conference was held on November 25 of last year, the Maoists have not even been able to form the Madhesh state committee due to factional conflicts. Even when the meeting was held in Prachanda’s presence, the dispute could not be resolved.
No department, pending election review
It has been a year since the Eighth Congress of the Maoist Center (2078 Dec 11-19). Even after one year of the convention, the standing committee and politburo have not been completed. After only eight months, Prachanda selected office bearers last August.
Even the department has not been formed after the convention. Before the Congress, the Maoists had 33 departments, a liaison committee and a policy institute.
Since the department is not formed, some leaders are working according to their old responsibilities. Vice President Mahara is holding the old responsibility of party spokesperson.
Deputy General Secretary Janardhan Sharma has tried to activate the old organization department. He called a meeting of the organization department on 17th December and discussed it. The next meeting is being held today.
Since President Prachanda cannot give time to complete all these tasks, there is a question in the Maoist circles as to who will fulfill this responsibility.
The Maoist Center has not even conducted an election review. The Maoists, who went to the election through an alliance with the Nepali Congress, have become weaker than before and have been reduced to 32 seats. The Maoists who won 18 seats directly are shrinking in proportional votes.
Although it is said that the preliminary review was done in the informal meeting of the officials, the Maoists did not call any meeting to conduct a formal review. Maoist went to government without reviewing the election.
“So far, nothing has been said about the meeting,” said Shriram Dhakal, the chief secretary of the Maoist Central Office.
The youth central members including Lekhnath Neupane had started a separate discussion, demanding a serious review of the election and going to a special convention.
At the time of the eighth convention, it was announced that a special convention would be held after the election for ‘transformation of the organization and development of ideas’. There is confusion as to how these matters will be taken forward after party chairman Prachanda becomes the prime minister.
