No matter how much you cover a cat with a shawl, it eventually meows: Baburam Bhattarai satirizes Dahal

KATHMANDU, Sept 25: Former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has satirized CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, saying, “No matter how much you cover a cat with a shawl, it eventually meows,”. Bhattarai’s statement follows a meeting between Dahal and pro-monarchist Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Senior Vice Chairman Rabindra Mishra on Tuesday.

Taking to social media, Dr Bhattarai said, “To borrow an oft-repeated proverb from the elderly leftist leader Chitra Bahadur KC: ‘No matter how much you cover a cat with a shawl, it eventually meows!’ Only Prachanda and Rabindra Mishra know the true details of their intimate conversation. However, anyone who has witnessed the fierce internal struggles within the Maoist movement understands that the 'cat is meowing' right now. Because that is the reality about Prachanda.”

After holding a meeting with Dahal at his Khumaltar residence in Lalitpur on Tuesday, Mishra wrote a post on Facebook summarizing the discussion. Dahal reportedly praised the late King Mahendra, calling him a “visionary king.” According to Mishra, Dahal particularly admired the late king, who founded the partyless Panchayat system, for taking initiatives to develop industries in the nation, even going so far as to call him a “visionary” leader.

In point three of Mishra’s post, Dahal is quoted as saying, “ During the conflict, some of my friends were entirely negative about the monarchy. I was in favor of cooperating with the king if it benefited the country.”

Dahal was also claimed to have stated that “the circumstances would be different today had the former king taken a softer approach to the people’s movement in 2006.”

However, Dr Bhattarai clarified that republicanism, secularism, federalism, and inclusive democracy were not the result of some great man’s bravery or the benevolence of an unseen power. “These achievements were earned through the unparalleled, sacrificial struggles of Nepal’s oppressed and exploited people. No matter how much some monarchists shout or how much leaders like Prachanda drown in the sweet allure of power, these hard-won gains, secured with the people's blood, cannot be taken away—and must not be allowed to be taken away!” Bhattarai said.

Following Mishra’s social media post, Dahal's Secretariat refuted Mishra's comments regarding their meeting on Tuesday. Dahal’s Personal Secretary, Ramesh Malla, stated that there is no truth in Mishra's comments, calling them a fabrication.