Nepali Congress general secretary K.B. GURUNG is a well known person in Congress party. Claimed as a true follower of B.P. Koirala’s national reconciliation, Gurung’s recent political paper has generated a new debate in Nepali politics. Gurung whose house and property in Ilam still remain seized by Maoists; spoke to KESHAB POUDEL on various issues regarding re-emergence of centrist line in Congress. Excerpts:
At a time when Maoist leaders are saying that the time has come to declare the republic from the interim parliament, what is the reaction of Nepali Congress?
Nepali Congress is a responsible Democratic Party and it cannot go against its commitments. As interim constitution has already stipulated that the fate of monarchy will be decided by the first meeting of constituent assembly, this kind of debate has no meaning now and it is just a politically motivated debate. Only the Nepali people can decide such dispute through the ballot - whether they want to retain monarchy or not.
But, Maoist leaders have been saying that this interim parliament has such mandate?
If this parliament has all these mandates, why do we then need to go for the elections for Constituent Assembly? As a democratic party, Nepali Congress always accepts the verdict of the people. We believe that people are supreme authority to decide. This interim parliament does not have such mandates.
Some of your communist allies have been accusing that Nepali Congress is protecting monarchy by delaying the elections of CA. How do you look at it?
Nepali Congress has already made it clear that only the people of this country has the right to decide the fate of monarchy. If people vote for monarchy, we have to accept it. Nepali Congress will follow the verdict of the people. Nepali Congress is always committed to hold the free and fair elections for CA but it is the activities of Maoist organizations like Young Communist League, which is terrorizing people, that are obstructing the elections.
Some of your party colleagues have been saying that the time has come to decide on republic. What is the status of Nepali Congress now?
As a democratic party, every individual has the right to speak his views. So far as our party’s stand is concerned, only party general assembly can decide on such issue. The last general assembly meeting of our party amended the constitution making our party’s stand silent on monarchy. Even our party leader Girijababu has said that Nepali Congress has to look at international reactions before making any shift on the issue.
But, some of your party leaders including prime minister Koirala reportedly said that the country is heading towards republic. Is it not contradictory?
I have already mentioned to you that such decision cannot be taken on the whims of just a few handful of party workers. It is the issue to be decided by the people of Nepal . Girijababu’s spirit is also similar like that of ours.
Is it not true that your party has deviated from 12-points agreement by signing new eight point agreement?
There have been certain deviations on the part of our party. Even prime minister Koirala acknowledged that the eight point agreement has created new problems. After signing the agreement, Girijababu personally shared his dissatisfaction with our party leaders. The 12 point agreement has clear mandate on how to hold the elections for Constituent Assembly. One of the essences of 12 points agreement is to revive House of Representatives, sign the peace agreement with Maoist and hold elections for Constituent Assembly. This is also the mandate of Janandolan II which was launched to end autocratic monarchy and establish complete democracy.
If that was the mandate, how all these new developments appeared by writing interim constitution and constituting new interim parliament?
Girijababu - who signed the new agreement on the eve of his departure to Bangkok for his medical treatment - expressed anger and dissatisfaction over the agreement. Some of our party leaders pressurized Girijababu in such a manner that he was compelled to sign it. Had we followed 12 points agreement honestly, we would have by now already elected Constituent Assembly and the country would have entered a new phase of political stability.
But, CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and other communist leaders are now pointing their fingers against Girija Prasad Koirala for failure to hold the elections for CA. How do you look at it?
Girijababu has shown greatness by accepting responsibility of not holding the elections for CA on schedule but other leaders of eight political parties are more responsible than Girijababu and our party. Girijababu has expressed his strong commitment to hold the elections for CA. I think Nepali Congress is the only party determined to hold the elections for CA. How can you blame Nepali Congress leader when Maoists did not abide by their written commitments signed with the seven parties? We all know that it is the CPN-Maoist cadres who are still terrorizing people. The Maoists have not returned our confiscated properties and have not allowed internally displaced persons to return.
Even they have not yet returned my property.
What would be the agenda of Nepali Congress in CA?
As long as B.P. Koirala’s ideology is there, we don’t need to worry. Our party will contest the elections on the basis of moderate ideology propounded by B.P. Koirala. Our party always follows the moderate path. This is our identity. This is going to be our agenda.
At a time when your party is completely discarding traditional force siding with extremist communists demanding abolishing monarchy, what elements are left to distinguish your party from the communists?
NC, which is the only liberal democratic party in Nepal , has a long history of struggling against autocracy of any form. Our opposition is against the autocratic monarchy. We have our own ideology propounded by B.P. Koirala. As B.P. Koirala had said, Nepali Congress is not in favor of any forms of extremism whether it is rightist extremism or communist extremism.
In case your party contests elections with a similar slogan of republic, do you believe that your party will retain its broader appeal?
As you know our party still maintains silence on monarchy and republic. In this regard, our slogans for elections will be different than communists. B.P. Koirala’s new book Raja, Rastriyata and Rajniti (King, Nationalism and Politics) clearly will guide us on what Nepali Congress needs to do at the time of crisis.
Don’t you see there are deviations?
I told you that there is deviation in the ideological front of Nepali Congress but our party cannot survive if we continue to deviate further. Even our leader Girijababu has been frank enough to accept that.
At a time when most of your party workers including prime minister Koirala are justifying the new role of Nepali Congress, what prompted you to take opposite stand?
We are not taking any opposite stands but we are harping similar ethos of national reconciliation as all our leaders including Girijababu has been doing. We were grown up under the leadership of B.P. Koirala, who taught us that whenever there is a crisis in the country prime duty of a party worker is to speak truth keeping the country’s interest in mind. We are fulfilling our own national responsibility by speaking truth. As B.P. said, a political leader must speak truth even if it brings hostile reactions. I am not afraid of hostile reactions.
If B.P. Koirala had been alive, what do you thing would be his reactions to the new situation?
He would stand for his own belief and conviction. Although B.P. Koirala is not there, his commitments and ideology inspires us to speak party’s ideology. In his recently released book, B.P. Koirala firmly expressed his views on nation, democracy and monarchy. Every party worker knows what our leader said about our future.
Some of your leaders have been saying that the context of B.P’s national reconciliation has changed now. How do you look at it?
Nothing has changed now and B.P.’s national reconciliation is still valid as it was in the past and it will be valid forever. The photo of young B.P. printed as a cover page of the book Raja, Rastriyata and Rajniti indicates this. It shows B.P.’s ideology has utility at all times and is forever young. I don’t know what reasons prompted Ganesh Raj Sharma to choose B.P. Koirala’s photograph of younger age in the cover page of the book. My observation is that the picture, which only a few of us had seen before, demonstrated that B.P.’s idea is always valuable and relevant.
What are the main agenda raised by the chairmen of District Committees and other leaders at the recent meet?
The meeting helped to bring clarity in the mind of many of us. Many party leaders expressed dissatisfaction on the deviation of Nepali Congress on many issues. Few members even demanded to amend the party constitution to make it republican. One of the positive sides of this meeting is that there is a consensus among all the members that the first meeting of Constituent Assembly should decide the fate of monarchy.
What were the major concerns raised by your party leaders in the meeting?
All of them were concerned about the deteriorating law and order situation in the country. District presidents also raised the question on continued Maoist atrocities in the villages. They called to announce the date of elections for CA with credible assurance of law and order. They criticized the Home minister failing to restore law and order. Nepal.
Source:Spotlight.
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