When Baburam Bhattarai severed his ties with UCPN (Maoist) after the promulgation of new constitution in September 2015, I was dumbstruck. I had never thought Bhattarai, who provided the ideological base of the ten-year-long insurgency that resulted in the loss of around 13,000 innocent lives, would one day walk out of the party. But Bhattarai has shown that nothing is permanent in politics.The man who used communist ideology, purportedly to transform Nepal politically, socially and economically now seems to believe that communism is an outdated ideology.
Bhattarai has changed his color like a chameleon. After the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1990, his party took part in election but after failing to garner enough seats he waged a war that derailed the nascent democracy. In the second Constituent Assembly (CA) election people rejected the Maoist ideology—including ethnic federalism—pushing it to the distant third position after Nepali Congress and CPN-UML. Bhattarai rightly assessed public disillusionment with the Maoist party. Therefore he came up with a new prescription to solve the country's socio-economic problems in the name of Naya Shakti.
In a country where over 100 political parties are registered with the Election Commission (EC), we do not need one more. In a country where politics has proven to be a dirty game and root cause of most evils, people won't entertain the new party—whatever its name. This is why the proposed Naya Shakti has failed to excite people and generate much hope. Bhattarai has named his party Naya Shakti but most of its members are former Maoist leaders, cadres and retired civil servants. Therefore Naya Shakti is no more than old wine in new bottle.
The members of this new outfit seem to have been impressed by the spectacular rise of Aam Adami Party (AAP) in Delhi. But they perhaps don't realize that key leaders of AAP were firebrand anti-corruption activists who had come into politics to uproot corruption. People trusted them for the same reason. Here Nepalis have seen for themselves how Baburam Bhattarai as prime minister failed to control graft.
The country is currently battling an economic crisis triggered by Indian economic blockade and devastating earthquakes of 2015. We need a political party which focuses on economic revolution to end poverty and unemployment. Bhattarai had done a commendable job in Puspha Kamal Dahal-led government as finance minister. So people can expect him to ignite an economic revolution. But he must publicly apologize to the general public for leading a bloody civil war which led to the deaths of 13,000 people and planted the seed of ethnic and communal hatred.
He has abandoned Maoist party but he should tell the people if he has also renounced communist ideology. Bhattarai played an instrumental role in promulgating the much-awaited constitution. But he is criticizing the same constitution. How can people believe him?
People will accept him as a transformed leader if he transforms himself first, in line with the changed context. It is true that Bhattarai stands out among other politicians. No one is as serious and thoughtful. Nepali people haven't given up hope on him. The country does need a new force when around 2,000 youths are leaving the country every day to toil in the Gulf countries. We desperately need a force with a vision to retain human resources in the country.
People's aspiration for prosperity and development has been shattered by one after another political problem since the 1950s. Now is the time to transform politics for economic prosperity and development. Can Bhattarai do that?
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