विचार

Jeevan Gurung

It did not take long for Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to exhibit his wily ways. But this time his action has exposed him as a politician who is willing to go so far as to sell his own and the nation’s prestige in order to maintain political power.  The contents of his letter delivered to Prime Minister Modi of India on September 20th have disclosed Dahal for who he really is.  Far from being Prachanda, his nom de guerre that means the “fierce one,” he has turned out to be a wimp.

That PM Dahal is a self-centered and ineffectual leader is well known.  He waged a decade-long insurgency that left thousands dead.  He then failed to lead the nation during his previous tenure as the country’s Prime Minister from 2008-2009.  Rather than make the most of the opportunity, he got into an unnecessary constitutional tussle with President Ram Baran Yadav when he tried to sack the Nepalese Chief of the Army Staff Rookmangud Katawal.  It was his ego that got the better of him then.  What is less known about PM Dahal is that he is also a wimpy politician.  But now the cat is out of the bag.  Dahal’s letter to PM Modi has made it clear that Dahal has capitulated to India’s need to meddle in Nepal’s internal politics.

On August 20th, PM Dahal’s special envoy to India, Deputy PM and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi handed PM Dahal’s letter to PM Modi.  In the letter, PM Dahal is said to have conveyed to PM Modi his assurance that he would amend the constitution to address the grievances of the dissenting Madeshis and Janajatis.  That PM Dahal wants to address the grievances of the disgruntled Madeshis and Janajatis is not an issue.  That is what he promised in order to secure the support of the Madeshis and that is something that he needs to deliver.  Otherwise the truce between the government and the dissenting Madeshis will not last for long.  But what is outrageous is how Dahal has allowed India to meddle in Nepal’s domestic politics.  Instead of using proper diplomacy, the spineless Dahal had to rush his special envoy to seek India’s blessings immediately after becoming the Prime Minister of Nepal. 

PM Dahal’s prostration in front of PM Modi has rightly drawn widespread condemnation from Nepal’s opposition parties.  UML MP Yagyaraj Sunuwar called PM Dahal’s decision to have his special envoy discuss amending Nepal’s constitution with New Delhi a disgrace.  “The Dahal government has shown that nothing can happen in Nepal without India’s consent,” said Sunuwar on the floor of the House.  Nepal Workers Peasants Party (NWPP) MP Prem Suwal also chimed in the criticism of the Dahal government.  He expressed outrage at the Dahal government for allowing India to interfere in Nepal’s domestic affairs.

I am sure these leaders are not suggesting that Dahal should antagonize India.  They understand that Nepal cannot afford to do that.  What they are objecting to is Dahal’s need to seek India’s blessings to carry out something that is Nepal’s internal matter.  The memory of the 2015 economic blockade of Nepal’s southern border is still fresh in the minds of many Nepali.  PM Dahal should have been sensitive and more tactful.  But we know Dahal for who is.  If people weren’t aware of his opportunistic and wimpy nature, then now it is out in the open for everyone to see.  Sadly for us, our PM doesn’t know how to stand up for principle; he knows how to bow down if it is in his favor, and he knows how to tuck the tail under his legs if it will benefit him.   It turns out that Modi’s gift for the mass murder Dahal is a three-day visit to India.  In the eyes of the wimpy soul, who became the country’s PM through expert manipulation and not through proper election, the invitation by the big neighbor will finally give legitimacy to his position.  Modi has given exactly that to his most loyal servant.