Nepal Likely To Slide Into ‘Dharma Yuddha’

Nepal’s political landscape, over the last several weeks, has experienced cataclysmic changes. Particularly in the wake of second mass movement, this country seems awakening from a deep slumber. Centuries old institution of monarchy, that once used to command spontaneous respect, has been a redundant object of widespread vilification. The king once revered as the incarnation of Lord Bishnu has been reduced to a nondescript entity. The exceptional diminution of the king has left both his relatives and supporters susceptible to growing obloquy mixed with political vendetta.

Under the massive pressure of popular uprising the king was bound to reinstate the dissolved House of Representatives (HoR), one of the key demands of agitating seven party alliance (SPA). Once the HoR was restored, parliamentarians of different political parties, most of whom were virtually hated in the past for their sluggish involvement in corruption and misuse of authority, were seen upbeat. They had every reason to be euphoric because they had not to go to the people to be elected as people’s representatives.

Obviously, intoxicated by the newly-acquired power, they declared themselves as the supreme authority wielding the privilege even of riding roughshod over the constitution, a legitimate product of 1990 movement. In what is taken as a brazen example of audacity, they made public a ‘historic proclamation of parliament’ that has, inter alia, cut the kingship to its size and declared Nepal a secular state. This scribe, who believes in republican democracy, does not have any qualms about the reduction in King’s power and authority. But the sinister way political developments have been unfolding gives one the impression that royal tyranny is most likely to be supplanted by the autocracy of few political parties remote-controlled by a murderous terrorist outfit.

The success of the mass movement has further emboldened the Maoists. Democratic forces’ influence seems to have been completely eclipsed by the growing strength of Maoist communists. SPA and the newly-restored parliament appear to have been functioning mere as a tool at the hands of Maoists who want to turn Nepal into a communist republic – a euphemistic expression of the Nepalese version of Pol Pot regime. Despite obsequious ‘entreaty and imploration’ on the part of incumbent government, Maoists are continuing with their barbaric business – abduction, murder and extortion. INSEC, a local human rights watchdog, has said that Maoists had a few days ago abducted and killed two brothers - Shyam Sundar and Shambhu Sahani – who were accused of trying to disrupt their mass meeting held at Rautahat district. Equally appalling are the incidents of broad-day robbery that have of late gripped the capital city of Kathmandu. Having been widely excoriated for violent extortion, Maoists are believed to have changed their tactics and resorted to such heinous crimes.

The spillover effects of the evil force, that has already overpowered the Himalayan kingdom, have begun to be felt in the adjoining Indian district. According to an IRNA news report from New Delhi (29 May, 2006), after having been ‘successful in dethroning the Nepalese king, Maoists have now shifted their focus to Bihar’. ‘The Maoists’, the report said, ‘declared that they would abduct politicians in Bihar and kill them.’ It further went on to add: ‘They have also threatened to blow up the state’s parliament buildings, the secretariat as well as the official residence of the chief minister and 15 out of 30 targeted police stations within a span of two months, beginning May 29.’ Prachanda, the supreme leader of the Nepalese Maoists, was one of the active participants of the meeting that made such monstrous decisions.

Against such backdrops, how can one expect these terrorists to abide by the commitment to peaceful transition consummating in the holding of elections for constituent assembly. It is mere an illusion on the part of democratic forces to believe that Maoists will eschew their murderous strategy when it comes to materializing their nihilistic goal. Thanks to their political adroitness, they became successful in utilizing democratic forces’ obsequiousness while incapacitating the institution of monarchy and the Nepalese Army, the most formidable obstacles in pursuing their Godless destination. Once they are convinced that they have already traversed extra miles, they will in no time, dump democratic forces in the same way as they did to the two most powerful institutions of Nepal. Myopic and avaricious as they are, the SPA parliamentarians seem to have lost sight of this stark reality and focused themselves on mollycoddling gruesome fascist elements by unleashing smear campaign against anything relating to monarchy and Nepalese army.

The exemplary peace and harmony existing between different religions and cultures in our country has become one of the major victims of their unscrupulousness. The so-called historic proclamation of the parliament declared Nepal a secular state. According to the apologists for secularism, it was necessary to declare Nepal secular because Nepal’s status as a Hindu state was primarily responsible for nurturing the autocratic predilections of the institution of monarchy. No doubt, royalists oftentimes used to interpret king’s authoritarian tendency as something sanctioned by Hinduism. In a similar vein, instead of promoting genuine principles and ideals of Hinduism in the comprehensive interest of Nepal and the Nepalese, the palace had also used its culture and tradition as a shield to protect itself from the enemies. Despite having been declared the only ‘Hindu Emperors’ on earth, Nepalese kings had done nothing at all to uphold Hindu ideals and principles. Much to the consternation and disgust, former queen Aishwarya who was killed during the palace shootout five years ago, was alleged sotto voce to have embezzled millions of rupees raised from various sectors in the name of developing Pashupati Area, a reverential pilgrimage for more than one billion Hindus across the globe.

However, odious misadventures of the Nepalese royals can never be a convenient excuse to justify the preposterous transgression a bunch of people – most of whom were unmasked in the past as notorious impostors masquerading as parliamentarians – have committed by desecrating the conviction of more than 80 percent Hindus of Nepal. Nepal as a Hindu state has always harbored mutual respect, peace and harmony among different religious and ethnic communities. The Hindu majority of this country, despite having been occasionally afflicted by some minority communities with a provocative tendency of blaming the Hindus even for their own complacency and ineptitude, is always seen to have exercised restraint to head off the possibility of untoward incidents. Were it not for the Hindu magnanimity and tolerance, Nepal would already have turned into an accursed cauldron of communal hatred and violence.

The incumbent SPA government is seen bent on ruthlessly suppressing those who want to uphold their entrenched belief in Hinduism. The government itself has started a hate campaign by dubbing Hindus – who express commitment to a Hindu state – regressive. As if to reinforce demonic crackdown, it has embarked upon a campaign of identifying every vocal Hindu with VHP, supposedly a reactionary outfit run by staunch royalists. The more the SPA government resorts to such sinister tactics the more the Hindu community will be inspired to get united in order to safeguard its existence. However, this community is most likely to encounter exceptionally hard time amidst steadily growing SPA-Maoist collusion aimed at muzzling the Hindu voice. The Maoist leadership is clear about one thing - as long as Nepal is a Hindu state, they cannot impose their evil doctrine of class struggle virtually based on violence, murder and terror. Therefore, they want to do away with anything relating to Hindus and Hinduism. The SPA, abominably pusillanimous as it is, has no choice but to kowtow to the wicked diktat of Maoist terrorists because it owes its present position to Maoist benediction. Against such backdrops, it won’t be surprising if Nepal slides into a ‘Dharma Yuddha’ directed against the entire evil forces that are bent on destroying our self esteem, national dignity and sovereign existence. Bayam Rashtre Jagriyama Purohita! (06/02/06)

(*Mr. Lama can be reached at johnlama29 @ hotmail.com)

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