Prachanda's unity bid: Serious business or a political merge-and-purge?

Kathmandu, August 13: Amid rising pressure for a leadership change within the party, Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has proposed a merger with the CPN (Unified Socialist).

Prachanda, who lost power following a seven-point agreement between Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and UML Chair KP Sharma Oli in June, is seeking to strengthen his position in national politics and within his own party by uniting with the CPN (US)

Sources indicate that Prachanda is aiming to merge with the Biplab-led CPN, which split from the Maoists, and the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led CPN (US), which broke away from the UML. A source close to Madhav Nepal revealed that Prachand held a private meeting with Nepal on Monday, proposing a merger.

During the meeting, Prachanda suggested, “Let’s unite for revolution, and I will work to make you the Prime Minister.” He also expressed doubts about the longevity of the Congress-UML alliance, urging Nepal to consider this uncertainty in their plans.

Prachanda offered a proposal that Nepal would become the leader of the parliamentary party while he would remain as party Chair. He suggested that if an opportunity for the Prime Minister position arose before 2084, Nepal would take it.

In response, Nepal expressed caution about rushing into a merger. He suggested that rather than hasty unity, increasing cooperation through an alliance would be more sustainable and advised observing the progress of the Oli-led government.

The agreement between CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba for government leadership has raised concerns among some Congress leaders, leading Prachanda to emphasize the need for party unity. Prachanda, along with other leaders, visited Nepal at his residence in Koteshwor and expressed concerns about unity.

A leader from the Unified Socialist Party noted that both Prachanda and Nepal face internal pressures to unify their parties. However, there are issues within the Unified Socialists regarding unity with the Maoists versus the UML. Unified Socialist leader Som Prasad Pandey commented that the recent meetings were more about forming an alliance than discussing party unity.

Pandey also remarked that although party unity has been discussed, it has not been thoroughly examined. He suggested that instead of pursuing unity through proposals, the focus should be on cooperation and forming a strategic front.

The ongoing discussions include the Socialist Front of the Maoist Center, Unified Socialist, Biplab-led CPN, and the Mahendra Yadav group of NSP, aiming to increase pressure on the government and unite the party.

Recently, Prachanda acknowledged internal discontent and factions within the Maoist party, assuring that those who had left would soon return. With the Congress-UML coalition government considering constitutional amendments for raising threshold that worries small parties, the political landscape remains uncertain.