Nepal tense over Maoists demand

The demand for home ministry by Maoists in Nepal as pre-condition to join the new Jhalanath Khanal government could derail the peace and constitution drafting processes feel experts. Utpal Parashar reports.

Updated on: Feb 15, 2011, 01:59:56 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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The demand for home ministry by Maoists in Nepal as pre-condition to join the new Jhalanath Khanal government could derail the peace and constitution drafting processes feel experts.

Opinion is growing that the country’s biggest party helped Khanal, chief of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), reach the PM’s post in order to fulfill its own plans.

Reports on Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ telling cadres the home ministry would help withdraw cases of abuse against party members and boost plans for peoples’ revolt are adding to such fears.

“Prachanda has been quoted as telling party members that if Maoists get the home portfolio it would grant impunity to cadres involved in rights abuses,” said eminent human rights activist Sushil Pyakurel.

In an appeal issued on Sunday, Pyakurel and seven other eminent citizens said that if Maoists get home and defence ministries, it would have negative effect on peace and constitution drafting.

Senior journalist and political commentator Kanak Mani Dixit also feels the home ministry would allow Maoists to withdraw cases of atrocities lodged against party cadres.

“Home Affairs would also allow Maoists to control the security apparatus and government administration, and define the course of elections when term of the Constituent Assembly ends in May,” he wrote in Nepali Times.

Khanal and Prachanda inked a secret seven point deal ahead of the prime ministerial poll on February 3. They reportedly had a verbal agreement that Maoists would get home ministry once Khanal became PM.

But with several of Khanal’s party colleagues refusing to ‘honour’ the deal, Maoists and CPN (UML) are engaged in a tug of war for home ministry with the former deciding to stay out of government.

Fresh concern is brewing following reports that Khanal has decided to go against his party and hand over the portfolio to Maoists to prevent the deal from falling apart.

There is also debate on contentious clauses in the deal including setting up of a separate security force comprising Maoist combatants and both parties heading the government on rotational basis.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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