KATHMANDU, Apr 18: As key leaders from various Maoist parties step up efforts for their unification, leaders from the Mohan Baidya-led CPN (Maoist), a breakaway faction of the UCPN (Maoist), have said that determining the political line has remained a major bone of contention in the unification bid.
Also leaders involved in two-party negotiations from the UCPN (Maoist) admitted that defining the party line has become the major challenge. They said that party unification talks are moving toward positive direction and only a few issues are left to be settled. The leaders' remarks have come at a time when second-rung leaders from the two Maoist parties have stepped up negotiations since the two parties formed talks teams in March.
Senior leaders including Baburam Bhattarai, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Top Bahadur Rayamajhi from the UCPN (Maoist) and CP Gajurel, Ram Bahadur Thapa and Dev Gurung from the CPN-Maoist have been entrusted to settle differences and find common ground to bring the two parties together.
"Only the issue of defining the party's political line has surfaced as the major contentious issue for party reunification for now. Other issues are minor and can be settled once we finalize the political line of the unified party," CPN-Maoist Secretary Gurung, who is also a member of the talks team, told Republica.
In a significant departure from its previous party line, UCPN (Maoist) adopted 'socialist revolution' approach from its Hetauda general convention in 2013. However, CPN-Maoist is still sticking to its line of 'new democratic revolution'. Dahal-led party has concluded that capitalist revolution has been completed while Baidya's party insists that capitalist revolution has yet to be completed.
UCPN (Maoist) had approached CPN-Maoist for party reunification, shortly after facing humiliating defeat in second CA election in November, 2013. The new party that severed its ties in 2012 responded the proposal positively as a faction of the Baidya-led party split it yet again to form a new Maoist party led by hardliner leader Netra Bikram Chand in last November.
Responding to the reunification approach, the CPN-Maoist had floated a six-point condition to the UCPN (Maoist) last year. The Baidya-led party has pressed Dahal to accept new democratic revolution as the party's political line and reject the parliamentarian system.
However, CPN-Maoist has said it can accept the parliamentary system if UCPN (Maoist) expressed commitment for making changes to the existing parliamentary system. Leaders said UCPN (Maoist) is positive toward this proposal.
"We are inching closer to settling the six-point condition. On the issue of defining the political line, it could be an issue for discussion but we must recognize the changes we brought in the country in the recent years," said UCPN-Maoist General Secretary Krishna Bahadur Mahara.
But, CPN-Maoist is not ready to accept it. "Social problems remain unsettled and the economic condition has not elevated rationally. So institutionalizing the existing achievements is unacceptable for us," said Gurung.
Rest of other points floated by CPN-Maoist were adopting Marxism, Leninism and Maoism as the party's guiding principles; reviewing the party history to correct the past mistakes and weaknesses; accepting the role of force to bring about social revolution and change and to mobilize the party organization based on the principle of democratic centralism.
With, the UCPN (Maoist) and CPN-Maoist claiming that a few issues are left to be ironed out for party unification, leftist analyst Shyam Shrestha, however, claimed that reunification is a long shot.
"Only a working alliance between these two parties seems possible as the UCPN (Maoist) still believes that a new constitution should be drafted by the CA. But CPN-Maoist demands that the statute be drafted from outside the CA," said Shrestha.
Shrestha believed that the two parties are inching closer in the recent days because the verdict of the Supreme Court with regard to amnesty came as a shock for both of them. The UCPN (Maoist) also hopes that reuniting with Baidya-led party may help it during the local elections, says Shrestha.
Related story
Food crisis looms large as drought hits Madhesh districts
