Prachanda: Not Towards Parliamentary Democracy

Prachanda, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and new Prime Minister of Nepal

There have been discussions on this site over whether the Nepali Maoists still hold to their earlier position of forming a South Asia revolutionary federation (after the seizure of power in various countries.) Here Prachanda returns to that theme, among others. Also of interest is his argument that changes would be needed in the international situation for Nepal to develop a “communist republic” — and the orientation that the Nepali Maoists are seeking a form for developing power for workers and peasants. As at each stage of their revolutionary process, they are not viewing their tasks or plans through the prism of previous models — but from the perspective of advancing toward socialist revolution in accord to what they see the conditions and possibilities are. (Thanks to New Zealand’s Spark for posting this in their discussions.)

“We are neither going towards parliamentary democracy, nor trying to revive any traditional form of democracy in Nepal. In the current international political scenario, we have to make a breakthrough on the basis of revolutionary and reactionary political tradition of the 20th century, right from the October revolution to Chinese revolution.”

Prachanda dreams of a new kind of democracy
(Abhishek Srivastava, ET Bureau, 17 Sep, 2008)

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushp Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ says that his nation would not follow traditional parliamentary democracy. He is continuously experimenting to restructure the country’s socio-economic fabric towards a new form of democracy aimed at peasants and workers. Prachanda was addressing a delegation of Indo-Nepal People’s Solidarity Forum at the Nepalese embassy. Excerpts :

What will be the exact nature of your new democracy?

We know that formation of a communist republic is not possible in Nepal due to the current international scenario. Neither will we maintain a status quo in parliament. We are in constant search of a structure aimed towards workers and peasants. If we fail to do so, it will be unfortunate not only for Nepal, but also for India, South Asia and the whole world.

India: A riot of red flags

This article was published in the Himal Southasian. Posting this piece does not imply agreement. However thisarticle contains information on the developing  Maoist struggle in India.
The riot of red flags
By: Ajai Sahni

The strategies and tactics of the Naxalites are there for all to see, but the Indian establishment is yet to understand this agenda of ‘protracted warfare’.

India’s Naxalite movement – to which contemporary Indian Maoists directly trace their lineage – emerged as a wildfire insurrection in 1967 in the Naxalbari area of North Bengal. After a few years of dramatic violence, however, that movement was comprehensively suppressed by 1973, with the entire top leadership of what was then the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), either jailed or dead. What little remained of its splintered survivor organisations was destroyed during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency of 1975. It was with the formation in 1980 of the People’s War Group (PWG) – under the leadership of Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, an erstwhile Central Organising Committee member of the CPI (ML), in the Telengana region of Andhra Pradesh – and the reorganisation of the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) in Bihar in the mid-1980s, that the movement resurfaced in some strength.

The Red Star: Two Armies, Two Systems

This article appeared in the Red Star. 

‘New defence policy soon’

The newly elected government is forming a new defence policy suitable to the new Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’, the new Minister for Defence told The Red Star that the new defence ministry would work to create a new defence policy.

Badal also said that the primary agenda of the government is to integrate the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Nepal Army, formerly the Royal Nepal Army, into one force, a new National Army. This is following the Comprehensive Peace Accord-CPA, signed in 22 November 2006, between the previous government and the CPN-Maoist. He further stated that no one could go beyond the boundary of the CPA and the decisions made by the Constituent Assembly.

‘The National Defence Council will form a special committee to set the standards for the army integration’, Minister Badal said. He further added that the integration process should conclude within three to six months. He said that the Defence Ministry is aware of the sentiments and morale of both the PLA and the NA. He said the NA may have problems, but these would be solved in the coming days.

Responding to the rumours that NA will not support the new Maoist-led government, Minister Badal, also a senior leader of CPN Maoist, said that government, the NA and the political parties are accountable towards the interim constitution and the CA; so the rumours that there will not be cooperation are untrue.