The guy is honest. He is smart. He is a communist, but he is not dogmatic. He is socially progressive. A few years back he compared the plight of the Madhesis in Nepal with the blacks in South Africa during the apartheid regime.
For the first time I am feeling like the peace process in Nepal might finally pick up pace. This alliance between the Maoists and the Madhesi parties also makes sense politically on the ground. The Maoists rule the hills and the western Terai, the Madhesi parties hold sway over the rest of the Terai. The Maoists compete with the Congress and the UML in their strongholds, the Madhesi parties compete with the Congress and the UML, but primarily the Congress in their strongholds. This Maoist-Madhesi alliance might prove relevant also after the parliamentary elections after the new constitution. The Congress and the UML are the parties of the 1990 constitution. The Maoists and the Madhesis are the parties of the constituent assembly. The Congress and the UML disliked the idea of a constituent assembly for as long as they possibly could. They both came to the idea of federalism kicking and screaming.
This prime minister and this alliance could see a full four year term after the next parliamentary elections. But first the work on the constitution.
The Madhesi parties' primarily tussle continues to be with the Nepali Congress. It is not with each other.
NepalNews Bhattarai elected new Prime Minister of Nepal: Bhattarai received 340 votes while Poudel received 235 votes. .... In addition to his party UCPN (Maoist) which has 237 lawmakers in the 595-member Constituent Assembly, United Democratic Madhesi Front with 65 lawmakers and few fringe parties had also supported Bhattarai. ..... Bhattarai was born in a village called Belbas in Khoplang VDC of Gorkha District on May 26, 1954. He was born in a low - middle class peasant family .... He scored the highest marks among total examinees in SLC examination conducted in 1970 and topped the I.Sc board again in Amrit Science Campus, Kathmandu.
Madhesi Front declares support to Bhattarai; UML goes with NC: five UDMF leaders ..... both sides agreed to negotiate to determine the ranks of Maoist combatants going for integration and to reduce the number for integration up to 7000 from the proposed 8000. .... They also agreed to make the public services inclusive and start inclusion of Madhesis in Nepal Army by fixing a certain number.
Republica
Small cabinet to be sworn in Monday: an agreement has been reached to give 11 ministries to the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF). The new cabinet is also likely to get four deputy prime ministers. .... Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar from the MPRF-Democratic, Upendra Yadav from MPRF-Nepal, JP Gupta MPRF-Republican and one from the Maoist party are the strong contenders for the deputy prime minister. .... The Maoist party is likely to send its Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha into the cabinet as the deputy prime minister .... there is a tussle between Upendra Yadav and Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar over who gets to become senior in the cabinet. Yadav may send another party leader into the cabinet if he doesn´t get a position senior to Gachchhadar in the cabinet.
Madhesi alliance to decide its vote Sunday: the Madhesi leaders proposed to the Maoist leadership that a directorate under the Nepal Army should be formed to accommodate 6,000 personnel each from the security agencies, the Maoist combatants and the Madhesi community. That means the directorate will have 18,000 personnel. ..... the alliance has proposed that such a directorate should be mandated to work in the field of development and industry. They have clearly stated in their proposal that such a force will not have any mandate for border security and any combat role. The Maoists, in their proposal made public Thursday, sought to give a general military mandate to such a directorate. ...... Madhesi leaders Jitendra Dev, Laxman Lal Karna and Hrideyesh Tripathi prepared the amended proposal. .... the Madhesi parties have also sought from the Maoist party an agreement on sharing constitutional appointments and other governmental appointments.
Maoists, Madhesis ink four-point deal: no citizen will be deprived of their land ownership, besides agreeing on giving "special" relief for those affected by the Maoist insurgency, Madhes movement and Janjati movement...... "All the court cases against those involved in the Maoist insurgency, Madhes movement, Janjati movement, Tharuhat movement and Dalit and Pichadabarga movements will be dropped and they will be given general amnesty," the second point of the agreement reads. ..... uphold universal fundamental rights, constitutional supremacy, rule of law, press freedom, accountable judiciary, inclusive democracy autonomous states with right to self-determination and competitive politics
Gachchhadar faces actionEarlier on Thursday morning, Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala asked Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal over the phone to appoint Gachchhadar as deputy prime minister..... Koirala made the request to Nepal after he held a meeting with Gachchhadar at Koirala residence at Maharajgunj. NC leaderKhum Bahadur Khadka accompanied Gachchhadar during the meeting.
Girija Koirala has to be beat at his own game for his recent foul play with the MJF. The need of the hour is to bring the party back from the brink of a vertical split and reunify it.
Upendra Yadav has to face the fact that him becoming Prime Minister was never an option this past month. Prachanda was never serious about the offer. The way for a MJF person to become Prime Minister is by winning big in the election next year. And you can't even win if you split the party, let alone win big.
A sane revival plan for the Nepali Congress would be to usher in a new era of internal democracy, to say good bye to the culture of nepotism. A sane revival plan would be to try and meet the aspirations of the Madhesi people who until recently were the base of that party. But instead the Nepali Congress is worse today on internal democracy and nepotism than it was last year. It stands clueless on federalism and security sector reform. Those who talk of the five development regions are not talking about federalism.
The Nepali Congress will see a bigger defeat next year than it did last year. The MJF decimated the Nepali Congress last year in the Terai. Next year the MJF has to wipe out the Nepali Congress from the Terai. For that the MJF has to stay united.
Splitting the party makes absolutely no sense.
Internal democracy means Upendra Yadav might no longer be leading the party down the line. At the next convention the party might elect someone else. That is the democratic way. If all the Madhesi parties unite, as I hope they do before the elections next year, then that unified party would hold a new convention. That convention would elect a new leader to the party. That new leader could be anybody. Could be Upendra Yadav, could be Bijay Gachhedar, could be Hridayesh Tripathy, could be Rajendra Mahto, could be Sarita Giri, could be Jay Prakash Gupta. It is for the democratic process to decide who. And once decided there has to be a post election reconciliation among all the contenders for the top job.
Critiquing Upendra Yadav's Leadership Style
His primary downside has been that he does not consult enough. Someone in his position needs to constantly be consulting with all his MPs, all members of his central committee, as many district leaders as possible. Keep alive as many bilateral channels of communication as possible. Seek out a wide range of people to ask for their opinions before making decisions small and big. Make people feel included in all decision making processes. Have robust discussions among the top leaders on a wide variety of topics on a regular basis. This is something he needs to work on.
MPRF toward vertical split after Gachchhadar faction claims official party Republica Sixteen Central Committee (CC) members of the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) led by senior leader Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar filed a petition at the Election Commission claiming the party´s name, flag and symbol, thereby pushing the party ultimately toward an unavoidable split. ....... The NGO-turned party, the fourth largest in the Constituent Assembly (CA), has been facing an internal conflict over the last one month after the fall of the Maoist-led government on May 4. ....... Gachchhadar said he was compelled to move the Election Commission after the Yadav-faction turned down repeated offers over the last five days for reconciliation and unity in the party.
The most important thing for the MJF right now is to make sure the party does not split. And the way to resolve all outstanding issues is through dialogue and open voting. Bijay Gachhedar showing majority support in both the central committee and the parliamentary party is a turning point, if he has done that.
The physical attack on some of the women lawmakers of the MJF in Birgunj is shameful.
Majority vote gets to make the decisions. If that means that the party president's line of thinking ends up in the minority then he simply has to accept that.
How to prevent a vertical split?
Upendra Yadav and Bijay Gachhedar should meet in person, one on one.
They should go back to square one.
I think it is fair to say Gachhedar has to resign from the cabinet. Or Upendra Yadav could exhibit some magnanimity and let it be.
The two need to realize that there will be elections in less than a year. If the party splits now, both factions will lose. People who are MPs now will not come back to the parliament. They must stay united if they are to have a shot next year.
It is ridiculous that Madhav Nepal and Girija Koirala connived to bring about this split. The MJF had already decided to join the Madhav Nepal government. And it had already been decided that Bijay Gachhedar was going to get a powerful ministry. But that was not enough. The Nepal-Koirala duo went ahead and appointed Gachhedar the Deputy Prime Minister.
It is not easy to wake up an oppressed people like the Madhesis are. It is not easy to unite leaders of an oppressed community. Infighting happens very easily. That is but a symptom of powerlessness.
Upendra Yadav's Mistakes
Why did he not get himself elected parliamentary party leader after the April 2008 election last year?
His leadership style has had its weak points. As the party leader he should constantly be seeking out all his MPs and all members of his central committee one on one. What do you think of this? What do you think of that? He has become aloof since getting into power last year.
He misread the mood inside his party and inside the country regarding the Maoists. Many people felt it was a choice between Maoist autocracy and a new government in Madhav Nepal's leadership. For him to try to push the line to support the government from the outside was a wrong one.
When a large number of his MPs came out openly supporting Gachhedar, he should have made an extra effort to reach out to them.
Bijay Gachhedar's Mistakes
The number one thing Bijay Gachhedar has to realize right now is that if the party splits, he is not going to come back to the parliament next year. He is going to lose the election next year.
That is going to be extra true of many of the other MPs.
Bijay Gachhedar has to realize that Prachanda, Madhav Nepal and Girija Koirala all want the MJF to split. Prachanda offered the Prime Ministership to Upendra Yadav without meaning to. Now Koirala and Nepal have put Gachhedar in the Deputy Prime Minister's chair with the sole intention of splitting the MJF. There is no other purpose.
If Gachhedar is no longer a MP next year, he is going to be out of the political scene for the next four years.
And the way things are looking, the Madhav Nepal led government might not last six months. Then what? Will he split the party just to be Deputy Prime Minister for a few short months? That is not worth it.
How To Seek Middle Ground?
The number one thing for the two leaders to do is to meet in person. Stop talking through the media. Stop talking through supporters.
Agree to seek middle ground.
Upendra Yadav should come out fully wanting to participate in the Madhav Nepal government. A lot of his MPs are unhappy that he wants to stay out of the government.
Upendra Yadav should even be willing to accept Bijay Gachhedar as Deputy Prime Minister for a few months. Strike out a compromise formula. Both Bijay Gachhedar and Upendra Yadav get powerful ministries. Bijay Gachhedar stays DPM for six months, then Upendra Yadav becomes DPM for the final six months.
Bring back all the expelled leaders into the party fold.
Claim unity.
If they can do that, this will have been political jujutsu. You win over Nepal and Koirala at their own game. You fooled them into thinking you were fighting. And look what happened? The MJF got the Deputy Prime Ministership without being the second largest party.
Starting Point
The starting point for all further negotiations has to be that splitting the party is not an option. That will be political harakiri. If they split, both factions will end up being irrelevant in about a year. People will say, there used to be a Terai Congress, there also used to be a MJF.
I think Jay Prakash Gupta and Sharad Singh Bhandari could play important conciliatory roles right now.
Stay united now, and the MJF has a shot at the Prime Ministership next year. Split now and Yadav and Gachhedar are not even going to be MPs in a year.
In The News
MJF meeting venue turns into battleground; three lawmakers among those hurt NepalNews cadres of the rival factions engaged in violent clashes ...... Seven persons including three lawmakers of Gachchhadar faction, Durga Devi Sha, Kalawati Paswan and Karima Begum, who were leading the protesting group, were injured in the clash. ...... 26 out of the 35 central committee members are participating in the central committee meeting. ...... MJF has been virtually split with the Gachchhadar faction submitting the signatures of majority central committee members and lawmakers at the Election Commission on Tuesday Gachchhadar informs EC he has majority in MJF Gachchhadar reached the commission office in Kantipath along with 17 central committee members and 29 lawmakers and informed the EC that he has support from 50 percent central committee members and 65 percent of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) lawmakers. PM Nepal extends olive branch to Maoists as latter reciprocates with pre-condition MPRF toward vertical split after Gachchhadar faction claims official party Republica MPRF toward vertical split after Gachchhadar faction claims official party MPRF rival factions clash, 3 CA members injured Durga Devi Mahato, Kalawati Paswan and Karima Begam ...... supporters of the Yadav faction chased away the rival group with wooden sticks and targeted them with bricks. A motorcycle Begam was riding vandalized in the clash. ..... Organizing a press conference in the evening, the CA members beaten up in the afternoon said that they are hurt by the tendency of Madhesi leaders to hire gangsters to beat up Madhesi women. ..... Paswan said that she did not have any alternative to crying when an unruly mob dragged her in the middle of the road. ...... Durga Devi, another CA member injured in the clash, alleged that Upendra Yadav was not a leader of Madhesi people. “He spent almost nine months visiting abroad at expense to state coffers,” she said. “He has now become a treacherous leader instead of a messiah of Madhesis.” ...... She alleged that they were attacked in a planned manner as they did not sign papers as asked by party chairman Yadav to show a majority in his favor. ....... Altogether 16 of the 35 central committee members, led by parliamentary party leader Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, had filed a petition at the EC on Tuesday. “A majority has been shown by including the names of even those expelled by the party’s central committee,” he said. “That is meaningless.” 1. Chairman Upendra Yadav 2. General Secretary Ramsahay Yadav 3. Secretary Ratneshwor Lal Kayastha 4. Treasurer Renu Yadav 5. Lalbabu Raut 6. Mohammad Khalid Siddique 7. Mohammad Istiyaque 8. Abdul Jabbar 9. Ram Lal Sutiyar 10. Jay Prakash Yadav ´Rahul´ 11. Rabindra Yadav 12. Ranju Verma 13. Dev Narayan Yadav 14. Ganesh Yadav 15. Sahashram Yadav 16. Shivaji Prasad Yadav 17. Kabuli Paswan 18. Bijay Yadav 19. Krishnadev Yadav 20. BP Yadav 21. Umesh Lal Dash 22. Arjun Thapa 23. Jagadish Singh 24. Nandan Datta 25. Dr Rambir Ray 26. Yogendra Sahni JP Gupta in India Chairman Yadav also termed Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Nepali Congress President and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala as Indian agents. He claimed that the two party leaders have a main role in bringing the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum to the verge of a split. ...... A central committee meeting of the MPRF faction led by Yadav concluded in Birgunj Wednesday by passing a nine-point decision. ........ The meeting demanded formation of a national government for writing a new constitution and promoting inclusive democracy in the country. ........ The meeting also decided to take disciplinary action against four others, besides the seven CC members including the party’s parliamentary leader Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar. The four are Rabindra Thakur, Nasir Siddhiqi, Asha Chaturbedi and Sanjaya Kumar Sah. The meeting formed a three-member election committee to pick a new parliamentary party leader. ....... another MPRF faction led by Gachchhadar also held its Central Committee meeting in Kathmandu Wednesday. ....... formed a three-member committee to look for a new party office. ..... Dev said the meeting also formed a five-member committee with Gachchhadar as head to finalize the power-sharing in the new government ....................... A leader said Joint-Chairman Jay Prakash Gupta is absent as he is currently in India. ..... Nehal Khan, vice chairman of the party´s Birgunj Municipality unit, distributed a list of the 26 members to reporters at the venue. Gachchhadar claims majority in CC, stakes claim for being official The internal conflict reached a decisive phase last Thursday when Prime Minister Nepal appointed Gachchhadar deputy prime minister though the later´s name was not approved by his own party. ........ Gachchhadar said that the party can still remain intact if the action taken against the seven leaders is revoked. ..... CC members close to Gachchhdar said that they have not been invited to the CC meeting which is expected to endorse the action against the seven leaders. ...... A telephone interview of 32 CC members done by myrepublica.com on Monday had found 11 members supporting Gachchhadar. ........ Gachchhadar is now short of just two members for a majority in the party´s 35-member Central Committee. ....... According to Election Commission law, the faction with a majority of CC members behind it will have the party name, flag and election symbol. .... Gachchhadar also submitted the signatures of 29 CA members representing the MPRF to the Constituent Assembly, reinforcing his support to the government. MPRF has 53 members in the CA. Neither faction has majority in MPRF central committee Fight on for party's control in MPRF MPRF toward vertical split after Gachchhadar faction claims official party
Yadav threatens to withdraw support to government Republica Yadav termed the appointment of his party colleague and leader of MPRF´s parliamentary party Bijay Gachchhadhar as deputy prime minister "unconstitutional". He also termed it a ploy by other political parties to split his party ..... Gachchhadar was inducted into the cabinet as deputy prime minister and minister for Physical Planning and Works. .... A taskforce formed to address the feud had decided that both the leaders would be sent to the cabinet. Gachchhadar faces action The berth of Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar in the cabinet as the deputy prime minister leading the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) has not only pushed the party on the brink of split but also invited trouble to the new coalition government led by Madhav Kumar Nepal. ..... leaving the party´s establishment faction to contemplate on possible action against Gachchhadar and withdrawing his party´s support to the coalition government. ...... the recommendation made earlier on Thursday afternoon by Gachchhadar on who should be represented in the cabinet from his party. He had also produced signatures of a majority of his party lawmakers and of members from the political committee of his party. ..... “We are going to call the meeting of the central working committee in a day or two to decide action against Gachchhadar.” ....... the Yadav-faction who is in now minority in both in the parliamentary party and the ten-member political committee of the party. ...... Renu Yadav claimed that 36 out of 53 MPRF lawmakers are still with the party chairman. But Pramod Prasad Gupta, who is close to Gachchhadar refuted Yadav´s claim. ....... “Induction of any name into the cabinet without an official recommendation from the party will be against the spirit of the constitution. If such a situation is created, it would not be acceptable to our party.” ...... Earlier on Thursday morning, Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala asked Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal over the phone to appoint Gachchhadar as deputy prime minister ..... Koirala made the request to Nepal after he held a meeting with Gachchhadar at Koirala residence at Maharajgunj. NC leader Khum Bahadur Khadka accompanied Gachchhadar during the meeting. Yadav asks PM not to recognize Gachchhadar´s list NC submits ministers' list to PM Gachchhadar threatens over DPM Nearly all senior leaders, except Sher Bahadur Deuba, have strongly opposed the party president´s move to propel his daughter as leader of the NC team. ..... Wakil Musalman of MPRF told our correspondent Kiran Chapagain that Gachchhadar met NC president Koirala earlier Thursday insisting that he be made deputy prime minister "as promised". "I won´t just accept home ministry," Musalman, a staunch supporter of Gachchhadar ...... Gachchhadar faction has been claiming that both Prime Minister Nepal and Koirala had promised to make Gachchhadar deputy PM if he lent support to the government that replaced a Maoist-led coalition government. MPRF lawmakers to press PM for DPM to Gachchhadar Although the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) patched up its dispute on Saturday to avoid an imminent split, intra-party activities show that the dispute is still on and the patch-up is not working. ....... a “majority” of MPRF lawmakers tried to meet Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to remind him of his commitment to their parliamentary party leader, Bijaya Gachchhadar ....... They said that Nepal and other party leaders had promised a deputy prime ministership to Gachchhadar. ...... “We will tell the prime minister that we may do anything if he does not appoint Gachchhadar as deputy prime minister,” said Musalman. ........ likely faces from the UML are Raghubir Mahaseth, Bhim Rawal, Bhanubhakta Jaisi, Bishnu Poudel and Ram Chandra Jha Gachchhadar lone minister from Forum so far Gachchhadhar also submitted signatures of majority of leaders of his parliamentary party, as well as signatures of six out of 10 member of the party’s political committee in support of his candidacy. ..... Gachchhadhar and other leaders from Madhesi People’s Rights Forum, including Sharat Singh Bhandari and Jitendra Dev Gachchadhar submits his candidacy with majority support Gachchadhar arrives in UML Balkhu office Deputy prime minister-hopeful Bijay Gachchadhar and other leaders from Madhesi People’s Rights Forum, including Sharat Singh Bhandari and Jitendra Dev, have just entered the UML head office in Balkhu. Dispute escalates in MPRF "I don´t have any reservation on the first decision as we should try to lead the government if others support us but I want to write a note of dissent on the second decision," said Gachchhadar. "The second decision clearly aims at stopping the formation of a democratic coalition." ...... Yadav even termed the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress as cobras and claimed that the Maoist-led coalition was much better than the one led by the two "status quoist" parties. ..... When Yadav was speaking, some members hooted against him and banged on the table as a symbolic protest. ...... parliamentary party secretary Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav ....... Mrigendra termed chairman Yadav´s remarks against NC and UML "unrealistic" and said the Maoists were pythons if the NC and UML were cobras. ........ Karima Begam, a vocal critic of chairman Yadav, then, started criticizing Upendra´s loyal members including Raj Lal for "bullying" in the party meeting. ....... Sensing serious confrontation, chairman Yadav and co-chair JP Gupta left the meeting hall citing their appointments outside. ....... Yadav-dominated central committee, after 15-hour-long meeting at 3:30 am on Friday, had decided either to form a government under the party´s leadership or support an alliance which agrees to implement the eight-point agreement signed by the government in February 2008. The central committee had decided not to join the government led by anyone else. Bhandari rules out PLA's integration into NA Maoist combatants will be managed and rehabilitated, but not integrated into the Nepal Army. ....... Regarding the pay and allowance of the combatants in the cantonments, she said that it will be appropriate to provide the allowances directly to the individuals instead of making the payment in bulk. .... Bhandari further said that the Maoists had to leave the government because they tried to take decisions unilaterally. Yadav begins signature campaign against Gachchhadar MPRF lawmakers to press PM for DPM to Gachchhadar Yadav dubs Gachhadar's appointment unconstitutional NepalNews Madheshi Janadhikar Forum chairman Upendra Yadav has said appointment of Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar as the deputy prime minister is unconstitutional. ..... the party would withdraw support to the UML-led coalition. ....... Soon after Gachhadar was sworn in as the deputy Prime Minister, MJF has recalled him from the cabinet and written to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal not to appoint any more ministers from the party without approval of the party. ...... Yadav also accused the UML and Nepali Congress of trying to split his party by appointing a party candidate without the party’s decision. “Madhav Kumar Nepal should take the ‘credit’ of the split” Coalition partners sign CMPNew Power Equation and the NC’s Misery One fine morning, disgruntled MJF members could withdraw support culminating in the fall of the government..... “Girija Prasad Koirala has the capacity even to burn his own house if he is threatened to move out of it. Like Koirala who has the uncanny ability of creating problem for himself, Deuba’s ability is first to plunge into action and then think later.” ...... Deuba is to become the next president of NC in exchange of making Sujata the team leader of Nepali Congress ministers in Madhav Nepal’s coalition government. Dhritarastra’s blind attachment towards his son Duryodhana finally led to the Great War in Kuruchhetra called Mahabharata. Girijababu has lost all his sense of discretion when it has come to his daughter. All we can say is that the countdown of the government has already begun.
Madhav Nepal lost from two constituencies. He is now Prime Minister.
Sujata Koirala lost to Upendra Yadav. She now leads the Nepali Congress in the government.
Bijay Gachhedar did not even win to become a central committee member of the MJF at the party's convention, let alone party president. He is now Deputy Prime Minister.
This government is already in a mess. It has started on the wrong foot.
I give Madhav Nepal six months.
Madhav Nepal appointed Bijay Gachhedar Deputy Prime Minister at the urging of the Nepali Congress president. Madhav Nepal forgot that Gachhedar is no longer a member of the Nepali Congress.
Bijay Gachhedar still has the same ministry he had in the Maoist led government, but the ministry that Upendra Yadav had has already been given to Sujata.
The Nepali Congress, the UML seem to think that if the MJF splits, the MJF will get washed away in the Terai. That is the Nepali Congress' revival plan in the Terai. It would have been better if the revival plan had something to do with winning the hearts and minds of the Madhesi people by proposing to meet their aspirations for opportunity and equality.
Taking nepotism to new heights can not be a revival plan. Girija has no revival plan for his party.
Political Turmoil
True, there was political turmoil. Upendra Yadav took a little too long to realize that Prachanda never meant to offer him the Prime Ministership. But staking claim was not a bad thing. Why not? The next step was to suggest the MJF will support the government, but not join it. That was taken as an act of hostility. Finally the MJF as a party decided to join the government under Upendra Yadav's leadership with Bijay Gachhedar getting a major ministry. And we thought the quarrel had been settled. But Gachhedar did not rest at that.
Partly Bijay Gachhedar is to be blamed. He has had no regard for the party. Partly the NC and the UML leaders are to be blamed. They like the idea that they might be about to split their number one rival in the Terai.
Upendra Yadav also has to take some responsibility. There is a need for a serious introspection on his part as to his leadership style. But that is a minor issue. Right now is the time for the party president to assert his leadership. If someone else wants to be party president, they should either wait until the next party convention, or instigate an immediate party convention. Upendra Yadav is party leader because he was so elected unanimously at the last party convention. There is nothing in the party above the party convention.
I Give Madhav Nepal Six Months
The countdown has already begun. This is weird.
Madhav Nepal Has Already Made A Huge Mistake
He has meddled in the internal affairs of the MJF at the instigation of Girija. That has been a big mistake.
Bijay Gachhedar Is Begging For Disciplinary Action
As a last resort the MJF central committee has to look into disciplinary action for Bijay Gachhedar. After the general convention that is the second most important body in the party, the central committee is. Bijay Gachhedar has disrespected both the general convention and the central committee.
Upendra Yadav's Mistakes
He forgot the leaders produced by the Madhesi Kranti and gave a lot of power over to newcomers like Bijay Gachhedar and Sharat Singh Bhandari who are now out to undo him.
Jay Prakash Gupta has been with him from the beginning. If Upendra Yadav was not going to lead the parliamentary party himself, he should have gone for Jay Prakash Gupta.
Upendra Yadav made the big mistake of not getting himself elected parliamentary leader right after the elections. He should not repeat the mistake.
Upendra Yadav became aloof in power. As party leader you have to regularly consult with all your key colleagues.
Right now he should engage in one on one conversations with all his MPs and all members of his central committee. He should ask probing questions and listen and learn. He should exhibit humility.
Most important, right now he has to fight back. He can not let Bijay Gachhedar decide the fate of a party born out of a revolution. He can not let Madhav Nepal and Girija Koirala split the MJF.
Fight back now. Rethink your leadership style after victory.
Under no circumstances split the party. That is absolutely not an option.
Six months, now that is a really long time in politics.
Upendra Yadav was unanimously elected the leader of the MJF at the party's convention not long ago.
At that convention Bijay Gachhedar could not even get himself elected central committee member.
It was a mistake to have elected Bijay Gachhedar the parliamentary party leader after the April 2008 election.
Where was Bijay Gachhedar during the MadhesiKranti of 2007?
Where was Bijay Gachhedar during the Madhesi Kranti of 2008?
If the UML offers to make Bijay Gachhedar the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, that will be the beginning of the end of this UML-led government.
It is not for the UML to decide who will lead the MJF in the government. For that the MJF has formed a four member committee: Upendra Yadav, Jay Prakash Gupta, Sharad Singh Bhandari, Bijay Gachhedar.
Upendra Yadav led the MJF in the last government.
Upendra Yadav will lead the MJF in this government.
It is true that Upendra Yadav failed to correctly read the mood in the country and in the party. But trying to take initiative to form a government in his own leadership was a great move by Upendra Yadav, only the Maoists were not honest with their offer, so the talks went nowhere.
For the UML to try and decide who should get what ministry from the MJF will be like when Rajendra Mahto was in Mahendranagar of Mahakali zone where his Sadbhavana party does not even have a presence, and the Pahadi/Bahun bureaucrats of the Election Commission confiscated his ministerial vehicle saying a minister may not use government property to campaign for his party. That was the Pahadis/Bahuns saying you might be a cabinet minister but you are still only a Madhesi.
There are plenty of Pahadi/Bahun chauvinists in the UML. If they don't measure up, this government is also going to be short-lived.
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