HELLO NEPAL

The Kathmandu Post 26 February 2016 NO MORE SUFFERINGS It was a bit surprising to see the sudden end of Indian blockade last month that was continuing on the Nepal- India border points for the last five months. However, there were no official announcements of lifting the blockade from both the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) and the Indian government. Nevertheless, there was a speculation among the people that sooner or later the SLMM would have to withdraw their protest at the border points considering the gradual dwindling of their cadres at the protest sites. The dramatic opening of the Birgunj-Raxual border points had weakened the position of SLMM forcing them to concede that the general people had suffered more than the Oli led government. However, at the new report it does not seem that they will remain passive in the days to come (“Protest on cards, but doors for dialogue open: Morcha” 24 February, Page 3). They have denied being inclu

Deuba Vs Paudel It is not surprising to read the news (“Deuba eyes NC leadership as establishment side fragments” THT, 16 February, Page 3) at a time when the NC’s national general convention (NGC) is going to be held in the first week of March 2016. After the sudden and sad demise of Sushil Koirala , NC is left without its chief and struggling to keep the leadership with the establishment which do not seem possible at this time considering its ongoing factional politics. Ram Chandra Paudel has been made as the acting President who proclaims himself as the legitimate candidate for the leadership. However, Prakash Man Singh and Krishna P. Situala are also vying for the post. This situation has made the establishment camp difficult to pick up a single candidate. It seems now that the Koirala dynastic politics has come to end after Sushil Koirala’s sudden death. There does not seem any body from Koirala family to claim for the party chief position. And, it does not be

The Kathmandu Post 21 February 2016 FUTURE NEPALI CONGRESS Given the sudden and sad demise of Sushil Koirala, it will be interesting to see the outcome of the 13 th General Convention (CG) of the Nepali Congress (NC) that is going to be held in Kathmandu from 3-6 March. Being the oldest and one of the largest party, it cannot shy away from implementing the new constitution, which should be one of its prime agendas (“Statute, Madhes to top agenda” 17 February, Page 3). Also, the people are expecting to see its clear policy on the Madhesi issue so that the political unrest in the Tarai can be successfully resolved. However, the young leaders have started complaining that the senior leaders do not seem serious about deliberations on the issue due to leadership tussle between the rival factions. Observing closely the ongoing political activities of NC, it does not seem that there will be any major deviation in its policies and programmes. However, its Madhesi lead

The Kathmandu Post 14 February 2016 SUSPICIOUS DEATH It was disappointing and a bit shocking news to read that Sushil Koirala’s illness was hidden from the public (“Was Koirala’s illness “kept in dark “for political expediency”? 10 February Page 3) at a time when the Nepali Congress (NC) is preparing for its general assembly in the second week of March. Did the party establishment really hide his illness for their political interests and benefits keeping the upcoming general convention in mind as claimed by the Deuba faction? If so, then the so- called Koirala’s aides, made a gross mistake of not providing him proper treatment when he was greatly in need of it. And, if there was any foul play on the part of the concerned leaders, it should be properly investigated by independent body and the facts brought out to the public. Was he not completely cured from cancer as claimed by his personal doctor and relatives? Was it mere propaganda that he had defeated cancer so

The Himalayan Times 11 February 2016 Learn lessons from mistakes It was welcoming news to read (“UDMF lifts border blockade defers strike” THT, 9 February, Page 1). People were desperately waiting to hear it after facing difficult days for the last four months due to Madhes unrest and unofficial Indian trade embargo. Was it because the UDMF lately saw that the number of their political cadres, who were stationed at the Nepal India border points, started dwindling? Or, was it because they completely failed to realize on time that the blockade at the border points was a complete mistake on their part? Whichever were the reasons they must have now leaned the lessons that there were other alternatives of expressing their dissatisfaction on constitutional issues. If UDMF’s concerns and demands are genuine, what has been the problem for the “big three” to fulfill them? Is it the egoistic politics of the “big three”, who do not want to budge an inch from their politic

The Kathmandu Post 5 February 2016 SPITTING VENOM It was not encouraging to read the news that CPN-UML leaders are not happy with the PM (“Rival faction meets in Capital” 3 February, Page 3). PM Oli has been facing criticism from every corner for his egoistic political behaviour, populist speeches and false promises. Even his own party members have started publicly accusing him of running the party in an autocratic manner. It is crystal clear that he has even failed to convince his own party members about his way of leading the government and his party. How can someone efficiently run the government if he is not able to manage his own party? It is, however, a bit surprising that UML leaders are publicly criticising their party chief rather than doing so in their internal deliberations. This clearly shows that the practice of factional politics is prevalent in all the major political parties of Nepal which has always been a hurdle in the smooth functioning of th