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Nepal Maoists to drop Mao?
By
Sudeshna Sarkar
Kathmandu,
Oct 17 (IANS) Twelve years ago Nepal's Maoist party launched
an ambitious armed revolt against the monarchy, inspired by
Mao Zedong's precept that "power grows out of the barrel
of a gun", but now they are considering dropping the
Chinese revolutionary leader - literally.
The
Maoists began to call themselves the Communist Party of Nepal
(Maoist) from 1994-95 after they split from the parent organisation
- the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre).
Now,
the formerly underground party that returned to mainstream
politics two years ago under the leadership of Pushpa Kamal
Dahal "Prachanda", is considering removing the Maoist
tag.
"In
the past, there were several communist parties who donned
tags like the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist
and Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist to distinguish
one party from another," Maoist Finance Minister and
de facto deputy party chief Baburam Bhattarai said Friday.
"So,
we also took the tag of Maoist. But now it has been proved
that the Maoists are the number one party in Nepal. So we
don't need any tags," he added.
Bhattarai
was bombarded with questions by journalists when he arrived
at the Tribhuvan International Airport following reports that
during his sojourn in the US he had said that his party was
considering removing the Maoist appendage.
"The
issue will be discussed at the party's national convention,"
the minister said.
The
Maoists' national convention will be held after a hiatus of
nearly 10 years in Kathmandu from Nov 10, a key conference
that is expected to make or mar the party.
At
an earlier meeting recently, the political report tabled by
Prime Minister Prachanda was opposed by the hardliners in
the party.
While
the party hawks feel the revolution is not complete and the
party laid down arms too soon, Prachanda and the pragmatists
feel the party should revise its philosophy to keep up with
the changing times.
"While
the US is moving towards socialism, the Maoists are moving
towards capitalism," Bhattarai had joked at a meeting
with journalists in the US.
However,
the joke is not just a joke any more.
During
his first address to the nation after assuming office, Prachanda
said his government's focus would be on ushering in an economic
revolution with public-private sector partnership, wooing
foreign investors and liberalising trade policies.
On
Wednesday, while appearing at a tea party hosted by the Maoists'
biggest rival, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist
Leninist, Prachanda backtracked on his party's earlier pledge
to transform Nepal into a people's republic along the lines
of the People's Republic of China.
"During
Mao's time, there was no concept of federalism," he said.
"Nor did it include a multi-party democracy while we
have both."
Indo-Asian
News Service
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