KP Oli’s win may further polarize Nepali politics

Yuba Nath Lamsal
The ninth national congress of the CPN-UML is finally over amidst much hullabaloo. The most important part of this congress was the election for the central leadership. In the race for the principal leadership of the party or party chairperson KP Sharma Oli emerged as the winner defeating his rival Madhav Kumar Nepal. Apart from Oli’s personal win as chairperson, his team has also won a comfortable majority in the central committee. This gives free hand to KP Oli to steer the party for another five years without any hurdle.
The national congress is the forum to exercise thorough and meticulous debate and discussion on policies, programmes and future course of the party. However, this part saw the least attention and exercise in the CPN-UML conclave. The leadership issue took the central stage and consumed more energy and time in the entire eight days of the national congress. The political report that was presented by outgoing party chief Jhalanath Khanal was unanimously adopted virtually without debate, which was indicative of the fact that the delegates had no interest at all in political and ideological issues. But they seem to be more concerned with the positions in the organization ladder of the party as the issue concerning the leadership consumed much of the time, energy and resources during, before and after the congress.
There had been both open and behind the curtain exercises for grabbing the party leadership. KP Oli had been doing quite a serious homework for the last one year, while Madhav Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal, too, and had adopted their own strategy, tricks and tactics for party’s principal leadership. Jhalanath Khanal was desirous to continue one more term as party chairman provided he was chosen unanimously. When the other two candidates namely Madhav Nepal and KP Sharma Oli appeared not willing to give up the race for the party chairman, Khanal voluntarily opted to remain out of the race.
KP Oli had also contested the election for the party chief post during the eight national congress five years ago but lost to Khanal. Thus Oli had a natural claim to the party chief. Some Oli loyalists said that it was Oli’s legitimate right to claim the party’s principal post as two of his contemporaries—Khanal and Nepal had already enjoyed the party’s top post as well as country’s premiership. Jhalanath Khanal had been elected party chief twice and Madhav Nepal, too, was in the position of the party chief the party for 14 years. But Oli has so far become neither the party chief nor the prime minister. As far as the contribution to the party and the country is concerned, Oli has made equal sacrifice for the cause of the party and the country. He remained behind bars for 14 years for opposing the tyrannical king’s absolute regime. Oli’s historical background is definitely glorious. But his role and stance on Mahakali Treaty was severely criticized and he has built the image of more ‘India friendly’.  
Anyway, the ninth national congress is over and has been able to elect new leadership for another five years. Given the manner with which the election was held and democratic exercises fully done, the ninth national congress of the CPN-UML is definitely a historic one. No national congresses of the CPN-UML had ever seen and exercised such internal democracy. Although there had been vulgarity, to certain extent, during the election campaign of both the camps, which should have been avoided, the election and open competition was definitely good that makes the party vibrant and more active. Election was held for all the posts, which is a unique exercise in the organizational life of the CPN-UML. There were two distinct and rival sets of candidates and election was contested between the two panels. One was led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and the other one by KP Sharma Oli.
In the organizational life of any democratic party, the national congress is the most important forum as it is the highest and most powerful forum that determines party’s fate and future. The national congress is also important on the ground that it chooses a set of leadership for the next few years until another national congress is held. On top of that, the national congress is given higher weight because this is the forum in which delegates that are elected right from the grassroots level can have direct interaction with the central leadership and participate in policy-making of the party. This is a highest form of democracy that is exercised once in five year.
The way the ninth national congress of the CPN-UML was concluded in a fully democratic and competitive manner, it should serve as an important lesson for other parties as well. Differences and line struggle are natural and normal in an active and vibrant party. But such debate and struggle has to be managed in a way that does not lead to party split. The CPN-UML needs to be cautious to maintain unity even after the ugly and tough leadership battle in the party. This is necessary because of past records and experiences. Splits and disintegration in Nepal’s political parties is a common and a frequent phenomenon. Several parties have seen split and disintegration due to leadership rivalry but not because of disputes and differences on ideology and politics. This is a general phenomenon in all political parties in Nepal but more so in the communist parties. The Nepali Congress saw its split many times. There was a single communist party in Nepal until 1970s. Keshar Jung Rayamajhi sowed the first seed of split in Nepal’s communist movement. This process of split and disintegration continued and even intensified so badly that we have now more than a dozen communist parties in existence. Now the CPN-UML has to make sure that the party does not disintegrate due to leadership rivalry.
CPN-UML is the second largest political party and the largest communist party in the country in terms of its strength in the Constituent Assembly. Any developments in this party will definitely have impact on Nepal’s politics. Thus, all gazes had been fixed on the ninth national congress and the CPN-UML and its outcome. Now the congress is over and the rein of leadership has been passed onto KP Oli and his team. With this leadership change, no significant change is expected in the political course of the party as the congress has not adopted any new political philosophy, ideology and world view. The change of course of any political party is guided and determined by the political line and ideology. There has not been any change in ideological and political line in the party even after the ninth national congress as it has more strongly reiterated its adherence to the People’s Multi-Party Democracy or PMPD propounded long ago by Madan Bhandari. The basic tenets of the PMPD are the peaceful competitive politics based on the multi-party basis and social justice. The PMPD is a proposition that armed revolution in Nepal is no longer relevant and the only way to go to power is the peaceful competition.
With KP Oli coming to power, the CPN-UML’s leadership has once again gone to the Jhapa movement generation. KP Oli is one of the leading figures of Jhapa movement. After CP Mainali was stripped of powers 32 years ago, no leader of the Jhapa movement had been in the principal post of the CPN-UML. With the passage of time, the CPN-UML has sharply deviated from the spirit of the Jhapa movement but the party still has some leaders that had been involved Jhapa movement. One of them is KP Oli.
As said earlier, no significant changes are expected in the CPN-UML with the change in the leadership.  But one thing is certain that the working style of the party will definitely change with KP Oli in the helms of affairs. KP Oli is perhaps the only politician in the contemporary politics of Nepal who is better known as a man with tough nature and anti-Maoist and ‘India friendly’ image. This image may further polarize Nepal’s politics which may not be good in the present political situation that is demanding consensus and cooperation among the key political forces for constitution, peace, stability of the country.