KATHMANDU: The main opposition UCPN-Maoist has been launching nationwide protests demanding the establishment of civilian supremacy since the last three months. The Maoists have repeatedly said that the President should correct his “unconstitutional” move of reinstating the army chief. More flexible now, the Maoists have stated that their demands could

be fulfilled if a discussion takes place at the

parliament about the constitutionality of the President’s move.

However, Nepali Congress say that the President’s move was not unconstitutional, and

it has taken the President’s move as a step to save

the nation from the Maoist’s design to seize state power, and it is very thankful to the president.

It is crystal cleat that if the Maoists carry on their aggressive protest in the coming days, it would adversely affect the constitution writing and peace processes. So far the Maoists are fully cooperating in these processes and equally participating in the special committee on the supervision, rehabilitation and integration process of the Maoist combatants.

In a public program this week PM Nepal said,” I thank them because they are cooperating in these processes.”

A large section of the people view the Maoists with suspicion believing that the Maoists do not want to write the constitution within the stipulated time. There is also a belief that the Maoists want to capture state power through a people’s revolt, mainly urban revolt.

The top Maoist leaders’ frequent reference to this in their speeches that they want to seize state power through revolt has further fuelled this suspicion as well as fear.

To sideline the Maoists from the national politics and misguide the international community some leaders of the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress are launching a verbal war against the Maoists.

Because of this the international community is yet to be fully convinced that the Maoists are committed to multiparty democracy. They have been giving a benefit of a doubt since the last three years with the expectation that the Maoists would embrace the multiparty system ultimately. They believe that the Maoists are in transition to multiparty democracy.

However, the real fact is that the Maoist party is divided into two factions about the future course of the party. The first faction wants to seize state power through the legitimate way - that is by framing the compromise constitution- which paves the way to hold the general election. This faction is confident that the party would get a majority in the election, and they would be able to capture state power through the legitimate means.

Chairperson of the Maoist party Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s faction wants a compromise constitution and general election. But senior leader Mohan Baidya’s faction wants to capture state power through revolt or people’s uprising. This faction claims that the Maoist party would not be able to plant its ideology in the national politics through the compromise constitution. But the chairman Prachanda-led faction holds the majority in the party, so the Maoists are likely to go ahead through its line as there is no better alternative for the Maoists to capture state power.

However, it is clear that the Maoists want a superior hand in the peace process and constitution writing process, which means they want the power. The immediate mission of the Maoists is to topple the present government and to gain power in the end. They are adopting various means and strategies to bring down the present government.

For this propose, they are playing inside CPN-UML and Nepali Congress. In recent times, there is intra -party rift in UML and Nepali Congress, and the Maoists are trying to take the advantage of this.

The Maoists are offering the post of Prime Minister to different leaders of Nepali Congress and UML to bring a split in UML and Nepali Congress. Parliamentary party leader of the Nepali Congress Ram Chandra Poudel recently revealed that the Maoists had offered him the post of Prime Minister some time ago. Similarly, the Maoists are offering the same to Minister of Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala.

Recently, Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun said that they were ready to make Sujata Koirala Prime Minister. Likewise, they have offered the post of Prime Minister to the chairperson of CPN-UML Jhala Nath Khanal and seniors leaders of the Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba. Prime Minister Nepal recently said that the Maoists offer the post of Prime Minister to all the leaders they meet on a daily basis. The Maoists are busy taking advantage of the intra-party rift of CPN-UML. UML leaders Jhala Nath Khanal, vice president Bam Dev Gautam and general secretary Ishwor Pokharel are not satisfied with the performance of the present government.

In this way, the Maoists want to regain power by

playing with the intra

party rift in Nepali Congress and CPN-UML.