Political path lost

There is a tendency in Nepali politics to resort to general strikes, aka bandas, whenever there seems to be progress in negotiations between the major political parties. Marginalised political groups stage strikes in order to assert themselves and influence the negotiations. The last time there were widespread bandas across the country was towards the end of May 2012, when the parties were engaged in tough negotiations over the constitution. At the time, many of the groups that staged bandas stood either in support of or against identity-based federalism. Things have been quiet since. There was a stalemate between the parties, and the smaller groups felt they couldn’t push for their demands in any way. Now that there has been some progress in negotiations to form a new government and hold elections, it seems almost certain that there will be an increase in bandas.

The Nepal Federal People’s Republic Front, an organisation of breakaway Maoist factions including the CPN-Maoist, set the stage with their strike yesterday. There is, however, a major difference between this organisation and the many others that may be expected to hold strikes in the coming days. Madhesi and Janajati political groups that enforce bandas do so in order to influence the negotiations between parties. They are not opposed to the broad political process; they simply want their voices to be recognised. The breakaway Maoist factions, on the other hand, do not only want to influence the process; they want to derail it altogether. During the current strike, these Maoist factions have said that their demand is for an all-party government that will hold elections. In private conversations, however, their leaders express other motivations, claiming that their objective is to ensure that elections do not take place at all.

Consumed by rage and frustration, the members of the breakaway Maoist factions claim that the goal is to complete their revolution for the sake of the oppressed and marginalised. But they cannot go back to war. Nor do they have a viable political strategy. Their actions, therefore, are confined only to politics of retaliation. Unsurprisingly, the breakaway Maoists have not been able to provide any constructive agenda and what they have resorted to instead has had damaging effects on Nepal’s politics and society. If they continue in this vein, it is certain that they will only alienate the sections of the population that they wish to attract into their fold. It is time for leaders of the CPN-Maoist to introspect their place and position in Nepali society. A politics based solely on resentment and rage can only take a party so far in an open society. Such a politics is damaging not only to a broader society but is also self-destructive.

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