NEPALI POLITICS

The Himalayan Times 17 July 2024 Oli’s premiership challenged Amid political uncertainty, the two senior leaders of the NC and the UML signed a seven-point deal to form a new coalition government to replace Dahal as the Prime Minister. The deal not made public until now indicated that the remaining term in the Parliament will be shared between them on a rotational basis. Oli will lead the government for the first 18 months and the remaining 18 months will be led by Deuba “KP Sharm Oli sworn in as new PM” (THT, July 16, Page 1). It is after a decade that the NC and the UML have decided to form a coalition government, citing the need for ensuring political stability, amending the 2015 Constitution and boosting the country’s fragile economy. However, it remains to be seen whether this coalition will complete the remaining three years “Petitioners challenges Oli’s appointment as PM in Supreme Court” (THT, July 16, Page 1). The nation has witnessed 13 governments in the last...

Soft coup- a missed opportunity Pushpa Kamal Dahal-Prachanda considers himself the ’mastermind’ of Nepali politics. Long before the terrible palace massacre, he had schemed together with his No. 2 Baburam Bhattarai with the Indian establishment to abolish Constitutional Monarchy and the Hindu State as such. Already then he had no scruples to become a pawn of the Indian establishment and extinguish the Shah monarchy which had the unique role of founding the modern Nepali state and had become the symbol of Nepal’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Together with his collaborators from the other mainstream political parties, including the Nepali Congress , he succeeded in his goal. In fact, it was the mainstream political parties which made the Maoists part of the mainstream.  Here we had self-styled revolutionaries and nationalists who were funded and trained by India attempting to overthrow the legitimate government and order of an independent state. It was gross interfer...