People's Democracy

CP Nepal (UML) Holds Eighth Congress

Pledge To Strengthen Theoretical Aspect, Emerge As No. One Party

Joginder Sharma

HELD from February 16 to 21 in the Butwaal town of Lumbini district, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, the eighth congress of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) opened with a huge rally of more than three lakh people on the first day. Leaders of all the major parties of the country --- including Jhalanath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, and K P Oli of the CPN (UML), prime minister and CPN (Maoist) leader Prachand, former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala --- addressed the rally.

From the CPI(M), Polit Bureau member Mohd Amin and Central Committee members Joginder Sharma and Mridul De attended the congress as fraternal delegates. Representatives from the communist parties in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Srilanka, China, Vietnam, Greece, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Russia also attended as fraternal delegates.

Addressing the rally on behalf of the CPI(M), Mohd Amin congratulated the people of Nepal and the seven-party alliance for ending the monarchy and replacing it by a multiparty democratic republic in the country. He expressed the hope that the constituent assembly and the new government would be able to frame a new multiparty republican constitution for the country, restore complete peace in the country that was torn by a civil war for more than ten years, and follow pro-people policies, thus justifying the faith the people have reposed in them. Wishing all the successes for the people, the government, the constituent assembly and the CPN (UML) in their endeavour, Mohd Amin mentioned the disastrous effects of the ongoing global economic crisis on the people of the third world countries in particular and underlined the need for joint resistance against these policies and their mentors. Coming to the Indian situation, he dwelt on the political importance of the coming Lok Sabha polls in the country. He explained how the CPI(M) was striving to ensure the defeat of the communal, fascist BJP and its allies, as well as the Congress and the UPA whose government is pursuing neo-liberal and pro-US policies. The effort of the CPI(M) and other Left parties is to forge a third alternative in the country and to work for its success.

The way the leaders of various political parties of Nepal expressed their opinions and put forward their vision on the challenges currently facing their country, this rally of the CPN (UML) turned into an open forum, and the CPN (Maoist) leader Pushpa Kumar Dahal alias Prachand did mention this fact while addressing the rally.

More than 1,800 elected delegates from all parts of the country attended the CPN (UML) congress. For the sake of orderly discussions, they were divided into 20 groups, and 20 extra pandals were erected for discussion in these groups in addition to the main pandal. The party�s outgoing general secretary Jhalanath Khanal presented the political and organisational report.

The CPN (UML) has two types of members --- common members and organised members. The latter number 1,37,000. Common members number many times over.

After the report was presented, fraternal representatives addressed the delegates and on behalf of their respective parties wished the congress all success. Joginder Sharma read out the message of greetings sent by the CPI(M) Central Committee.

The people of Nepal have scored great victories in the last three years. An end to the 240 years old monarchy, successful election of the constituent assembly, establishment of a democratic and secular multiparty republic in the country, initiation of a process for restoration of peace, strong presence of the Left in the existing government and its effective leadership --- these make up the context which made the eighth CPN (UML) congress a historic event in itself. A still more important fact is that the party leadership and the congress delegates had had full awareness of this historicity and the challenges it posed and responsibilities it devolved. The main agenda of the eighth congress, therefore, was how to adapt the party to the new situation in ideological, political and organisational terms. The report presented by Khanal was therefore not only detailed but also cast a glance on the whole history of the Communist Party of Nepal since its formation in Kolkata in 1949, under the leadership of late Comrade Pushpalal Shresth.

In the very beginning of its analysis of the current political situation in Nepal, the report stressed three main contradictions of the Nepalese society. These are (1) between feudalism and the people, (2) between the comprador bourgeoisie and the people, and (3) between world imperialism and the Nepalese state.

Evaluating the long struggle of the people and the party against the monarchy, it termed the present period as one of transition and warned against the reactionary forces that are trying to put obstacles in the way of transition to a multiparty democratic republic and the restoration of peace. In terms of the challenges facing the party, the alliance government, the constituent assembly and the people, the report mentioned five main responsibilities. These serious responsibilities are: (1) framing of a new, democratic constitution, (2) taking the peace process to its logical culmination, (3) reorganisation of the Nepalese nation-state on the federal basis in place of the existing unitary state, on the strength of general consensus, (4) progressive land reforms in order to put a total end of the feudal system and to forge a pro-people socioeconomic transition, and (5) strengthening the national unity and defence of the nation�s sovereignty.

Intense debates are nowadays going on in Nepal on these five issues, with various political parties taking a stand on each issue in accordance with their respective viewpoints, class loyalties, group and nationality compositions etc. To forge a harmony in all these mutually conflicting ideas, viewpoints and interests in order to frame a constitution and restructure the nation on a federal basis is no easy task, as any constitutional enactment would need a two thirds majority. US imperialists have a specific agenda in South Asia. In India too, there are RSS and other communal and reactionary forces that keep conspiring to somehow restore the so-called Hindu nation there in Nepal. India�s ruling classes too are unable to digest the success of the Left in Nepal. As both are neighbouring countries and have old ties, a review of the Indo-Nepal treaty is also a big issue there. Hence the report takes a detailed note of all these tendencies, the big or small political parties that represent these tendencies, and their specific role at present.

Apart from the CPN (UML) and the CPN (Maoist), there are five more Left parties in Nepal. These are --- United People�s Front, Nepal Mazdoor Kisan Party, CPN(ML), CPN (United) and National People�s Front. The report analyses the role of these parties too, apart from making a detailed critical review of the CPN (Maoist). Many of the delegates also, while participating in the discussion on the report, made a critical appraisal of the role of the CPN (Maoist).

The Madhesi Jan-Adhikar Forum has propounded a new theorem. This organisation views Nepal as composed of three regions --- the mountains area, the hills area and the Terai (foothills). On this basis, it is demanding a reorganisation of the country into three zones. Thus it ignores the ethnic, national, linguistic and other diversities in the whole area from the west to the east. This vision of the said forum intends to take the Terai people away from the national mainstream and thus it weakens the nation�s unity and integrity.

It is notable that the CPN (UML) played a powerful role in forging the seven-party alliance and then to persuade the CPN (Maoist) to give up the path of violence, cooperate with the seven-party alliance, and join the mainstream of struggle. Thus the CPN (UML) played an important role in forging ahead the mass struggle against the monarchy. After the downfall of the monarchy, the party also played a notable role in the formation of an interim government and of a constituent assembly as well as in the formation of the present government. Now it is necessary that the party is ideologically, politically and organisationally united from top to bottom so as to be able to discharge the five responsibilities, enumerated above, in the changed context. With this realisation, the report as well as the subsequent discussion noted some wrong tendencies found in the party.

The party hoped to emerge as number one in the constituent assembly polls but came third. The party congress debated what causes were responsible for it. It then took a pledge to make the CPN (UML) the number one party in the next polls.

The congress also fixed the immediate political and organisational tasks after explaining the threats facing the communist movement in Nepal, its orientation for the future, the current status of the Nepalese revolution and the tactical line etc.

An analysis of the class composition of the society in Nepal, struggle against the reactionary forces, strengthen the party ideologically, running a rectification campaign, forging still closer links with the people, developing revolutionary mass pressure as a part of fulfilling the five said responsibilities, uprooting the feudal elements and relations, development of the national economy, making the alliance government more effective etc --- these were included in the key political tasks.

Streamlining the party organisation to make it a more effective force, development of the cadres, party education, streamlining and strengthening the work in mass organisations, strengthening the work among the youth etc --- these were some of the basic organisational tasks.

In the congress, there were lively discussions also on the structure of party organisation, method of work, implementation of the principles of democratic centralism, accountability of the cadres and leaders at all levels, need of amendments in the party constitution, and some other issues.

After the discussion, some changes in the party�s organisational structure were suggested and some proposals for amending the party constitution adopted in order to make these changes effective. The new Central Committee will finalise these proposals.

The CPN (UML) congress decided to elect a new 115-member Central Committee with 85 full and 30 alternate members, a 17-member Discipline Commission and a 75-member Audit Commission. Through another resolution it was proposed that eight of the Central Committee members will be elected by direct ballot the party�s office bearers --- one president, three vice residents, one general secretary and three secretaries. The Central Committee would elect the Polit Bureau whose strength may be up to one thirds of the Central Committee. The Polit Bureau would elect a Standing Committee and its strength would be one third of the Polit Bureau. Besides, there will be a National Representatives Council, directly elected by party members from the 240 parliamentary constituencies in the country. The whole process will be completed in six months.

The last agenda of the congress was to elect the office bearers, Central Committee, Discipline Commission and Audit Commission, and there were elections for all these bodies in the absence of consensus. Madhav Kumar Nepal did not contest for any post. He was elected to the Central Committee with the highest number of votes.

The new CPN (UML) president is Jhalanath Khanal and new general secretary is Ishwar Pokhrel. Ashok Rai, Bamdev Gautam and Vidya Bhandari are now vice presidents while Vishnu Podel, Shankar Pokhral and Yuvaraj Gewali are secretaries.