“We postponed the meeting for more homework for the CC meeting,” said Maoist Vice-chairman Narayankaji Sthrestha after the meeting of the party top office bearers Friday. [break]
The meeting was postponed due to sharp differences among the top three leaders -- Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya and Vice-chairman Dr Bhattarai -- over the party´s immediate policies, action-plan, and reshuffling of responsibilities of the leaders.
As per the new schedule, the CC will sit on December 14 to deliberate on the party´s ideological differences, an immediate action-plan for the peace process, and reshuffling of responsibilities of party leaders.
Another reason for the postponement of the CC, the party has stated, is the scheduled national gatherings of the party´s student and peasant wings.
Shrestha said Chairman Dahal will present his document at the upcoming CC meeting after accommodating the views expressed during the Palungtar plenum, and that the party will continue debates on the contentious issues and later resolve them at a national conclave or a general convention.
“The chairman´s document will have the line that the party, while safeguarding the national sovereignty, will go for peace and constitution through talks and public pressure,” said Shrestha.
However, the top three Maoist leaders are at loggerheads over several issues as well as the action plan for the peace process.
Baidya faction has vociferously demanded that the party change its methods and tactics and give primary importance to "street movement" and secondary importance to talks and not vice versa, which was the case last year. But Bhattarai and Dahal are for giving primary importance to talks to achieve the goal of peace and constitution, while fielding the people on the streets as pressure tactics.
Similarly, Dahal and Baidya are for declaring India the party´s principal enemy, while Bhattarai argues that the party should not launch struggles against India at this juncture and should instead go after "domestic feudalism".
The meeting was postponed due to sharp differences among the top three leaders over the party´s immediate policies, action-plan, and reshuffling of responsibilities of the leaders.
The leaders are working on the wordings of the document to “accommodate the views of all the three factions”, like writing struggle for “national sovereignty” instead of directly declaring India as principal enemy.
Power-sharing deal in party
The party has also begun exercise on power-sharing within the party. Chairman Dahal holds majority in the leadership positions of the 30 state committees and sister organizations. The Bhattarai and Baidya factions have demanded that they want their share on the basis of their organizational strengths.
Bhattarai´s Sweden trip cancelled
As the decision of the top office bearers, Vice-chairman Bhattarai cancelled his trip to Sweden. “He cancelled the trip as per the party´s decision,” said Maoist leader Devendra Poudel, who is close to Bhattarai.
Bhattarai was scheduled to leave for Sweden on Saturday to attend a seminar on constitution-drafting, to be organized by Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). Party leaders Devendra Poudel, Hisila Yami, Barsaman Pun, Ram Kumar Sharma and Khim Lal Devkota, however, will attend the seminar.
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