People's Democracy

Nepalis Gripped By The Idea Of Democracy

Rahul Barua

IN August 2005 Nepali Congress president G P Koirala and other leaders of the seven party alliance (SPA) invited CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, who is the convenor of the Nepal Democracy Solidarity Committee India, to Nepal. He led a group of senior politicians of different political parties to Nepal on September 28, 2005. During the course of several meetings with the leaders of different persuasions in Nepal, Sitaram Yechury emphasised that the idea whose time has come cannot be thwarted and the idea of republican governance has gripped the masses of Nepal.

­During the period that followed exchange of ideas between solidarity committee and various parties from Nepal took place on a regular basis. Several meeting were organised among SPA of Nepal, CPN (Maoists), representatives of civil society groups with Sitaram Yechury, D P Tripathi, D Raja and others. Discussions were held with G P Koirala, Madhav Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Pradip Giri, Bimalendra Nidhi, Jhalanath Khanal, Hriydesh Tripathi and many other senior political leaders of Nepal along with Prachando, Baburam and other underground Maoist leaders for an understanding so that the process can start for ending of autocratic rule of the monarch through peaceful agitation.

All through the discussions that were held between the Solidarity Committee members and the functionaries of the government of India monitoring the situation in Nepal, it was emphasised that we should listen to the voice of the people of Nepal and abandon the two pillar theory in Nepal of monarchy and multi-party democracy. The mood of the people of Nepal was clearly manifest on the streets of Kathmandu where history was being created.

During this entire period Sitaram Yechury on behalf of the Solidarity Committee kept in touch with defence minister Pranab Mukherjee in the absence of the prime minister who was away in Germany. He also fine-tuned the 12-point agreement that Maoists and SPA had reached. A four point formula was evolved for immediate implementation once the King declared convening of the parliament and formation of the government. Once the Maoists were persuaded to accept this formula the path was cleared for the formation of a democratic government.

Sitaram Yehcury along with D P Tripathi of NCP and Rahul Barua visited Nepal when the new government was being sworn in the reconvened session of parliament. On behalf of the Solidarity Committee, Yechury stressed that the process that the SPA had promised the people must be implemented so that the monarchy does not get an opportunity to reconsolidate its position. He also appealed to India and the international community to help rebuild Nepal so that the people of this country can have a similar opportunity like its neighbours to decide their political rights and share the same opportunities towards progress and prosperity.          

(Rahul Barua, member of the Solidarity Committee)