The hardliner faction of the UCPN (Maoist), who had registered a note of dissent during signing of the 7-point deal at Baluwatar Tuesaday night, organised a press meet on Wednesday at the City Hall in the capital just to express disappointment with the leadership.
The reporters waited patiently for an hour for Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’, leader of the radical faction of the party to show up as if he was going to make a big announcement. When he finally arrived along with Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Baadal’, clapping resounded through the hall.
Netra Bikram Chanda first flayed the leadership saying the party establishment became blind with power. He termed the signing of the historic 7-point deal was a deception to the people. “The night of 1 November will be remembered as black night. But it is the people’s power that ultimately prevail. Those stupid who signed the deal will perish,” he said.
Maoist General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa lambasted leadership for signing the deal and went on to say, “This is not just a press conference. We have come here to take a solemn vow that we would continue our fight until the feudalists and the imperialists are done away with.”
“Tuesday was a delightful night for reactionary forces and their lackeys but it turned out to be a dark night for the people’s liberation army and those who sacrificed their lives for change. We swear on them that their sacrifice will not go futile,” said Thapa.
Before he read out nine points of disagreement of the 7-point deal from the paper, he tried to invoke sentiments of the cadres present at the hall by highlighted the party Central Committee and Standing Committee decision to integrate the combatants on a group basis but the leadership changed at the end. “The PLA will never serve as security guards,” he said.
It was Baidya’s turn to respond to the queries of reporters. “This agreement has devaluated the dignity of the PLA at a time when we have been demanding dignified integration. We are totally against the deal. The leadership has betrayed the public, PLA and country as a whole,” he said.
He revealed that the leadership has been doing different from what the party decides in meetings. “People’s republic is still the party line but the leadership approved of democratic republic,” he said. “We are not trying to change the leadership. All we want is the leadership to correct its mistakes made.”
Baidya argued the security policy should have been finalised before the integration issue. The other demands of his faction includes en mass integration of the PLA, a new directorate comprising equal number of NA and Maoist soldiers and the chain of command should be given to the PLA.
In sum, all three leaders made attempts to invoke sentiments of the combatants while there are news reports of cantonment chiefs and combatants cheered up by the news of 7-point deal. The divisional commanders had unanimously approved of the government decision to hand over the weapons to the state last month. In informal talks, the commanders, some of who are now the members of Special Committee had told us that the PLA would follow the decision of the leadership.
Party sources also confirmed that the Baidya faction has been losing influence over the combatants as the PLA themselves are willing to get out of the cantonments. “There is no point making fuss about the 4-point agreement, BIPPA or new 7-point agreement,” a Maoist said who doesn’t want to be named. “Currently, peace and constitution is the party line.”