Koirala, who was once known as a strong anti-communist, suddenly changed his policy and developed friendship with the communists and handed them the key to power. It is Koirala who brought Pushpa Kamal Dahal from the jungles to Baluwatar. The incumbent prime minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal, also couldn’t have made it to Baluwatar without Koirala’s blessings. Koirala was, in fact, the kingmaker in Nepali politics. Even President Dr Ram Baran Yadav is Koirala’s choice.
Had Koirala not signed the 12-point agreement with the Maoists in Delhi in November 2005, the Maoists would not have joined hand with the seven political parties to topple monarchy and restore democracy in the country. The credit for ending the decade-long war that left 16,000 people dead goes to Koirala. Koirala performed three great jobs in recent times: Reinstatement of parliament, abolition of monarchy, and holding the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections.
If NC had not deleted the word constitutional monarchy from its statute, monarchy would not have been abolished from the country. The Maoists had not been able to end the 240-year-old institution of monarchy through their armed struggle. It is Koirala who proposed the idea to end monarchy through voting in the parliament, which was the only legitimate way to abolish the institution. If monarchy had been abolished without voting, international community would not have extended support to the move and there could have been bloodshed in the country.
Who now?
The question that now arises is: Who will lead NC now? None of the three senior leaders of the party – Sushil Koirala, Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ramchandra Poudel – have the stature, personality and vision like that of Koirala. Collective leadership seems to be the only alternative to fill-up the vacuum that has been created in the party following Koirala’s demise. The help of third-generation leaders like Sujata Koirala, Bimalendra Nidhi and Prakash Man Singh might also be needed to steer the party toward the right direction. The saying that “united we stand, divided we fall” best suits the party at this juncture.
Collective leadership seems to be the only alternative to fill-up the vacuum that has been created in Nepali Congress following Koirala’s demise.
Sujata, his daughter, might be in a position to cash in on the nationwide sympathy wave that has developed following Koirala’s end. But she should be very careful as any wrong move now can jeopardize her career. Both Sushil and Deuba will vie for the party president’s post during the next general convention of the party and it seems that the one who gets support from Sujata will emerge victorious.
For Sujata, there are two options: Either to act like Indira Gandhi who cashed in on the demise of great Indian leader and her father Jawaharlal Nehru, or to assume the role of Sonia Gandhi. Indira succeeded in leading the Indian National Congress with her bold leadership and determination despite non-cooperation from other senior parties. She was sidelined by senior leaders of the party then, but she displayed the capability to steer the party alone.
Sonia did not come forward at once and did not assume power though she got the chance. Instead, she made a gradual move and maintained a low profile letting Manmohan Singh become the prime minister. Now Sonia has become the kingmaker in India like Girijababu was in Nepal. She is more powerful and commands more respect than the prime minister himself. It will be less risky for Sujata to assume the role of Sonia at this moment.
NC should now follow Koirala’s three mantra within the party organization: Cooperation, collaboration and consensus. These elements are necessary not only among the parties but also within the party itself. Since there is a clear majority of the communists in the parliament, the party should remain united in order to provide a balance to the nation’s polity.
sirish27@yahoo.com
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