Editorial
Tamasha in the party
As top leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party cancel each other, it is the people who suffer.It hasn't ended yet, the series of exchanges of what are now mockingly called 'love letters' between Nepal Communist Party co-chairs KP Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal. On Saturday, Oli, who is also the prime minister, responding to Dahal's political document presented at the November 13 Secretariat meeting, called it a collection of personal dissatisfaction, limitless frustration and vested interest that deserved to be discarded at first glance. Each time, the two senior-most leaders of the ruling party come up with yet another round of accusations and counter-accusations.
In his latest document, Oli has covered a range of issues including federalism, coronavirus, nationalism, socialism, crony capitalism, transitional justice, the Baluwatar land grab scam, politicians' fancy lifestyles, and the language and tone of Dahal's political document, among others. In almost each of the issues he raises in the document, Oli expresses his dismay over the co-chair's actions and has called for ‘sacrifice’ for the larger good of the party and the country while he presents himself more or less as a saintly figure. By putting on record his dissatisfactions with Dahal's actions within the party, Oli has more or less made clear his keenness to downsize the co-chair.
It’s a tamasha worth watching, except that it is at a huge cost to the lives and livelihoods of the citizens in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. When two elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled. Even today, the wish of the people could be to see that they stay together for the sake of the nation, as a possible breaking apart of the party means yet another round of political instability. But for that, the leaders must act like adults and begin work towards strengthening not only the party, but also the government. If the in-fighting continues, there will soon come a time when the people would want to see the part break apart rather than see them fight all the time.
The in-fighting between the two factions in the ruling Nepal Communist Party can't be taken lightly as it has caused a great deal of harm to the country. It is not just a random political party, but one that has been leading the country for the past two years and a half. Moreover, its bickering has a direct impact on the direction that the country takes. With their low-grade factionalism, the ruling party's top leaders have turned their much-touted mission of Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepalis into a cuss word already. It is utterly shameful that the senior-most leaders of the ruling party have spent precious time in endless bickering over their hold over the organisation and completely disregarded the concerns of the citizens.