KATHMANDU, April 14: The year 2081 BS was not only as politically volatile as ever, but there have been some new practices and developments that have shaped the country’s political landscape. The two major parties in the parliament formed the government, high-level state officials (including a former vice-president) returned to active politics this year, and a former deputy prime minister was detained for months in a legal case.
Apart from this, this year also saw politicians being involved in various disputes and the former king becoming politically active. There were many other minor political developments. Here is Republica’s pick of five political developments of the year 2081 BS.
Two major parties form coalition government
In an unprecedented event in Nepal’s parliamentary politics, a seven-point agreement was reached between the two major parties of the parliament, the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML, on the night of July 1 to form a new government. According to the agreement, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli became the Prime Minister on July 14.
The NC is the largest party in the current parliament while UML is the second largest party. After they formed the government together, the third largest party, the Maoist Center, was forced to play the role of the main opposition.
In a parliamentary democracy, the first and second parties do not have the practice of forming a government together and that practice is considered wrong. Mainly, the second party should play the role of the main opposition. But that is not the case in Nepal now. At present, the first party NC and the second party UML are in the government.
This is the first exercise in the history of Nepal. At first, it was heavily criticized by political analysts and opposition lawmakers. However, almost 10 months have passed since the formation of the government, but nothing has been done about the constitution amendment to facilitate such a coalition.
After the last parliamentary elections, the government was formed under the leadership of CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on December 25, 2022. That government lasted for a year and a half. In the Dahal-led government, the NC was the main partner, as it is now with the ruling CPN-UML.
Maoist Center as main opposition after 9 years
Govt recommends president to issue five ordinances
The main opposition party CPN (Maoist Center), which recently launched the 'Maoist Campaign with the People', has landed on the opposition bench after nine years. The Maoists, who waged an armed insurgency for 10 years (1996 to 2006), have been around the government and power ever since they entered mainstream politics. In the past 17 years, they were more often in the government than not in it.
The Maoists, which became the largest force in the first Constituent Assembly elections in 2008, suffered a 'humiliating' defeat in the second Constituent Assembly elections. After that, the party was the main opposition for two years i.e. till 2015. But then it joined the government.
However, on July 14, the party was unexpectedly pushed into the main opposition. The Maoist Center has won more seats than the UML in the local by-elections after being ousted from the government and has also won a respectable victory in the Free Students' Union (FSU) elections.
Former Home Minister Lamichhane arrested twice
The year 2081 BS also became the year when former high-level government officials fell into the clutches of the police. Among them, the most highlighted case was the arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane.
He was apprehended at the party headquarters, Banasthali Chamati, on October 18. Lamichhane, who was arrested in connection with the embezzlement of funds from cooperatives in Pokhara, Rupandehi, Kathmandu, Chitwan and Parsa, was kept in police custody for 84 days before his release.
However, nearly three months later, on April 4, he was arrested again for the second time from his residence in Hattigauda, Kathmandu.
The Rupandehi District Court had previously released him on a bail of Rs 1 million in the cooperative fraud case related to the Supreme Cooperative of Rupandehi. However, government attorneys reached the Butwal bench of Tulsipur High Court seeking cancellation of the bail. As per the court’s order, he is currently in the custody of Kathmandu Police.
Lamichhane has moved the Supreme Court against the order of the Butwal Bench of the High Court Tulsipur to send him to jail. The court concluded the hearing on Sunday, however, the verdict is still awaited.
In another development, former Minister of Gandaki Province Deepak Manange alias Rajiv Gurung was sent to jail as he was convicted of attempting to murder his long-time rival gangster Milan Gurung.
Former King Shah in the spotlight
In 2081 BS, former King Gyanendra Shah became the center of political developments in the latter half of the year. In a video message issued on the eve of Democracy Day (February 19), the former king not only asked not to weaken his sacrifice, but also called upon the people to support him to save the country.
Some royalist and Hindu organizations, including Rajendra Lingden-led Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Kamal Thapa-led RPP Nepal, Durga Prasain-led Save Citizens Campaign, held programmes in Kathmandu and other big cities.
Three weeks after Shah's message, on March 9, the pro-monarchy forces staged a show of strength across the country. They asserted that only the king could save the country as they welcomed him on his return to Kathmandu after his trip to Pokhara.
Emboldened by the same show of strength, former King Shah formed the Joint People's Movement Committee to restore the monarchy with the participation of these three groups on March 14. The committee, headed by 86-year-old Navaraj Subedi, chairman of the former National Panchayat, staged a demonstration at Tinkune in Kathmandu on March 28. However, the protest turned violent and journalist Suresh Rajak and a protester Sabin Maharjan of Kirtipur were killed. The pro-monarchy movement, which was slowed down by this incident, has not been able to gain momentum now.
Durga Prasain was made the commander of the committee on the instructions of former king Shah before the protest. He disappeared after the Tinkune protest that he led, turned violent. He was arrested from Assam, India on April 10 while coordinator Nawaraj Subedi is under house arrest.
Former Vice President returns to active politics
Former Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun returned to active politics in 2081 BS. A widely-accepted political practice across the world is that former head-of-state and deputy head-of-state do not participate in party politics upon the end of their tenure.
Pun, a former vice-president from the CPN (Maoist Centre), was elected vice-president again. He has returned to active politics against the popular belief that individuals who have held state responsibility ought not do so.
He is currently the vice-president of the party and head of the department of economy and production of the party. He became the head of the department on February 3 and became the vice-president of the party by mid-March. He is now writing a proposal on how the party can be directly linked to labour.
Not only Pun, former President Bidya Devi Bhandari is also expected to return to active party politics. Bhandari, who left party politics and became president for two terms, has clearly indicated her return to active politics.
She has started coming out among the leaders and cadres through the Madan Bhandari Foundation and is in the race to become the chairperson of the party's 11th general convention. She has already held talks with the party's incumbent chairman KP Sharma Oli. She has said in various forums and interviews that there is a possibility of becoming the party chairperson.
