The decision to hold a meeting comes a day after the hard-line faction led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya formed a political front to push its radical political agendas. [break]
A notice has been issued to all the CC members to participate in the meeting, though Baidya has already dismissed the significance of any such meeting prior to the dissolution of the “anti-national” government led by party leader Baburam Bhattarai.
Then, how will the Baidya faction move ahead?
“We will go to any length to implement the past decisions,” says leader Kul Prasad KC who is close to Baidya.
Party insiders say Baidya faction is planning to play three cards to consolidate its position.
First is the card of “radical nationalism”. Justifying the formation of the political front, the hardliners in a press statement said: “Foreign interference has been growing in all the sectors and so is border encroachment. The national sovereignty and independence is in crisis.
” As per their philosophy also, the Maoist hardliners want to cash in on the surge of nationalist sentiments against India. According to leaders, they are also holding talks with the “nationalists and intellectuals” to convince the latter to join the front.
Second is their strategy to win the support of ethnic activists and parties that are strongly demanding ethnic-based federalism. The fringe parties they have forged alliance with also reflect their intention. Of the 11 fringe parties in their front, seven are radical parties espousing ethnic states.
Sources say party General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa, a key hardliner, is also holding talks with the Janajati caucus to fight for the same cause. “Since they know that the ethnic states espoused by ethnic activists and politicians will not materialize, the political tide will turn in their favor,” says a leader close to Dahal.
If the agendas of nationalism and ethnic states mean mobilizing outsiders in their favor, the demand for “people´s constitution” is to win the sentiments of the party cadres. “They plan to mobilize the party cadres saying they are fighting for the constitution that will justify the significance of the people´s war,” says a senior party leader close to Bhattarai.
But, what is the objective of the hardliner faction and how will they achieve it?
“In fact, they are preparing grounds for splitting the party. They know they cannot force the other parties to formulate a people´s constitution or meet the demand for ethnic states. So why not cash them in their favor,” says political analyst Mumaram Khanal.
Party insiders say the hardliners are working to expand their organizational base in the party and garner wider support to split the party at some point, possibly around May 28, the constitution drafting deadline. Before that, they are not likely to announce a separate party formally.
“I am almost sure that the party will remain united with some sorts of threats before the CA deadline. And much will also depend on how Baidya, who is not for taking any blame for engineering a split, makes his move,” says CC member Kumar Poudel. There is no uniformity of opinions in the hard-line faction.
Senior leaders including CP Gajurel and Dev Gurung, along with Baidya, are a bit hesitant to split the party immediately without well-founded justifications while Thapa and Netra Bikram Chand look ready for any move to save the party´s “revolutionary spirit”. It is yet to be seen who will prevail.
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