Nepal Maoists: Reports Allege Discussion of Faction Allignment

From MyRepublica.

We urge readers to remember that these reports on the Maoist Central Committee meeting are, at this point, still coming to us through the bourgeois press — who have their own motives and worldview.  No one should assume that these are accurate. We will post actual texts of the various positions and speeches as soon as they become available in English. Pushpa Kamal Dahal is also known by his nom de guerre Prachanda, and Baidya is also known as Kiran.

Mohan Baidhya also known as Kiran, speaking at the recent plenum of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)

PALUNGTAR,GORKHA, Nov 22: Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has held several rounds of talks with Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya asking the latter to join forces against another Vice Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai in the party plenum that began on Sunday here in Palungtar, Gorkha.

According to party sources, Dahal has already held several rounds of talks with Baidya in this regard. “But Baidya has not so far responded positively to Dahal´s call for unity against Bhattarai,” said a Maoist leader close to Baidya.

With his relationship with Bhattarai souring, Dahal needs the support of Baidya, who has a strong hold among the party rank and file, to make his party line prevail in the plenum.

Party insiders say Dahal will talk to both vice-chairmen and make another attempt to accommodate their views in his “synthesized” political paper to be presented on the fourth day of the plenum.

Earlier, Dahal had tried to convince both Bhattarai and Baidya to allow him to present his new political document which accommodated the views of both vice-chairmen just ahead of the plenum. But both vice-chairmen disagreed saying if Dahal presents a new document, each of them should also be allowed to prepare new documents.

At the end, the leaders agreed that Dahal would present his synthesized document on the fourth day of the plenum, let both vice-chairmen register their dissenting opinions, and leave the issues to be resolved in the general conventions.

The top three leaders of the Maoist party are scheduled to present separate documents with explanations in the jumbo party plenum on Monday.
“It will be clear how things will shape up on Monday,” said a senior Maoist leader.

As per the Central Committee decision, each of the state committee and department will hold discussion on the three separate papers and three members close to each of the top three leaders will present their opinion in the plenum for the next two days.

PLA participate in the plenum

Despite serious objections from other political parties, more than a thousand members of the Maoist People´s Liberation Army (PLA) are participating in the plenum. Other political parties had objected the Maoist move saying that the participation by the PLA, who have formally come under the Special Committee, would violate the code of conduct.

“Yes, the PLA members are participating in the plenum, and we had also apprised other political parties about this. They are not practically under the Special Committee and we cannot suddenly detach them from us,” Maoist vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha told Republica.

According to sources, over 1,000 PLA and 500 YCL members are participating in the plenum. The PLA members who represent the seven divisions of the PLA form the numerical strength equal to seven Maoist state committees.

Party insiders say Dahal has proposed that one PLA member from each of the seven PLA divisions speak during the meeting. But Baidya and Bhattarai have opposed the proposal.