04-11-2007, 03:34 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Cheap charges</b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Madhesi anger is Koirala's problem
It is regrettable that Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala should have used his visit to New Delhi for the SAARC Summit to lodge complaints against "Hindu organisations" for fanning the Madhesi agitation in his country's southern districts. Mr Koirala's petulance has only exposed him to the criticism that by pointing fingers at the RSS and the VHP for playing the role of agents provocateur in Nepal's Terai region, he has chosen to ignore the real reasons behind Madhesi disquiet. That may gladden the Maoists, with whom he now shares power in an interim Government struggling to cope with inner contradictions, but it is unlikely to convince others, least of all the Madhesis. It is possible that Mr Koirala, by accusing the RSS and the VHP for a problem that owes its origins in the Maoists dictating the terms of Nepal's engagement with politics in the post-monarchy era, is trying to cosy up to the CPI(M), which at the moment is piloting India's Nepal policy with disastrous consequences and cannot but be displeased with the Madhesis for two reasons: They have shown the Maoists that they are not easily intimidated and they have refused to go along with Prachanda's hate India campaign. Whatever the motive behind Mr Koirala's complaint, it does not minimise the fact that the Madhesis, despite constituting half that country's population, have been denied their due share of power and it speaks volumes about his command over the situation that he has abysmally failed in convincing them that their identity and rights shall not be trampled upon even if the Maoists were to come to power. It is no less a comment on his leadership that the Maoists continue to violate the peace accord with increasing impunity.
In any event, there are gross inconsistencies in Mr Koirala's tale. First, neither the RSS nor VHP has any base in Nepal. Second, the confusion that is deliberately being sought to be created is over the Vishwa Hindu Mahasangha, a palace-promoted entity and which, apart from lacking formal or informal links with the RSS-VHP, is largely irrelevant in today's Nepal. If there are suggestions that the Gorakhpur Mutt is involved in instigating Madhesis, that too would be an exaggeration. All this apart, it is amusing to note the distinct anti-Hindu flavour of Mr Koirala's plaint: It would seem that along with the abandonment of Nepal's unique identity as the world's only Hindu kingdom, he and his colleagues have also decided to repudiate that country's historical and cultural linkages with India, anchored in a shared faith. Even if we were to assume that "Hindu organisations" are active in Nepal, more so in the Terai where the Madhesis are loath to disown their cultural, social and religious linkages with India, why should Mr Koirala feel so upset about it? Are we then to believe that at the fag end of his political career, this veteran politician has fallen prey to wily Maoists towards whom he has, in the past, rarely made an effort to hide his contempt? Or are there other players behind the scene who are trying to discredit pro-India elements in Nepal? It's not difficult to seek answers to these questions.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Madhesi anger is Koirala's problem
It is regrettable that Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala should have used his visit to New Delhi for the SAARC Summit to lodge complaints against "Hindu organisations" for fanning the Madhesi agitation in his country's southern districts. Mr Koirala's petulance has only exposed him to the criticism that by pointing fingers at the RSS and the VHP for playing the role of agents provocateur in Nepal's Terai region, he has chosen to ignore the real reasons behind Madhesi disquiet. That may gladden the Maoists, with whom he now shares power in an interim Government struggling to cope with inner contradictions, but it is unlikely to convince others, least of all the Madhesis. It is possible that Mr Koirala, by accusing the RSS and the VHP for a problem that owes its origins in the Maoists dictating the terms of Nepal's engagement with politics in the post-monarchy era, is trying to cosy up to the CPI(M), which at the moment is piloting India's Nepal policy with disastrous consequences and cannot but be displeased with the Madhesis for two reasons: They have shown the Maoists that they are not easily intimidated and they have refused to go along with Prachanda's hate India campaign. Whatever the motive behind Mr Koirala's complaint, it does not minimise the fact that the Madhesis, despite constituting half that country's population, have been denied their due share of power and it speaks volumes about his command over the situation that he has abysmally failed in convincing them that their identity and rights shall not be trampled upon even if the Maoists were to come to power. It is no less a comment on his leadership that the Maoists continue to violate the peace accord with increasing impunity.
In any event, there are gross inconsistencies in Mr Koirala's tale. First, neither the RSS nor VHP has any base in Nepal. Second, the confusion that is deliberately being sought to be created is over the Vishwa Hindu Mahasangha, a palace-promoted entity and which, apart from lacking formal or informal links with the RSS-VHP, is largely irrelevant in today's Nepal. If there are suggestions that the Gorakhpur Mutt is involved in instigating Madhesis, that too would be an exaggeration. All this apart, it is amusing to note the distinct anti-Hindu flavour of Mr Koirala's plaint: It would seem that along with the abandonment of Nepal's unique identity as the world's only Hindu kingdom, he and his colleagues have also decided to repudiate that country's historical and cultural linkages with India, anchored in a shared faith. Even if we were to assume that "Hindu organisations" are active in Nepal, more so in the Terai where the Madhesis are loath to disown their cultural, social and religious linkages with India, why should Mr Koirala feel so upset about it? Are we then to believe that at the fag end of his political career, this veteran politician has fallen prey to wily Maoists towards whom he has, in the past, rarely made an effort to hide his contempt? Or are there other players behind the scene who are trying to discredit pro-India elements in Nepal? It's not difficult to seek answers to these questions.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->