Prachanda warns against undermining Maoist strength

Maoist chairman Prachanda has warned 'domestic and foreign reactionaries' against undermining the strength of the Maoists and misconstruing their flexibility for weakness. Addressing a meet of All Nepal People's Health Workers in Lalitpur, on Saturday, Prachanda said his party had abandoned some of its positions for progressive march, which, he warned, should not be misread as their weakness. "There is no justification for our People's Liberation Army to suffer in cantonments if the parliament does not announce republic," he said. Prachanda added that responsibility of any consequence resulting from PLA's march out of cantonment will rest on seven parties.

At another meeting held to welcome the merger of Bhim Bahadur Kathayat-led Loktantrik Ganatantrik Morcha with the Maoists, Prachanda said that all forces were trying to push the Maoists to the wall. "We have said we will not return to war if things move ahead through the peace process. But some reactionaries are trying to suppress us by taking this as our weakness and thinking that we will not return to war," he said. "It will be a blunder on their part. We will leave no one. Wherever you go, we will be there," he threatened.

Prachanda reiterated the need to forge larger communist unity. "We have no ego. We want communist unity based on new thought. Those against the unity in the UML must be exposed," he said. Prachanda also recalled that he had two rounds of talks with late Prince Dhirendra. "Birendra (late King) and Dhirendra were liberal and nationalist," he said. Prachanda also revealed that his party used to take advantage of disputes among parliamentary parties in the past. Sitting ministers had aided Maoists in the past, he said without taking any name.

At the programme, Kathayat was welcomed by Prachanda and Dr. Bhattarai into the Maoist fold. Kathayat's outfit is the latest to merge with the Maoists. Two days ago, another Republic Front led by Dr. Ram Man Shrestha had merged with the Maoists. Likewise, Keshab Nepal-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-2006) had merged with the Maoists a few months ago. The Maoists are planning to induct another leftist outfit led by veteran communist leader Krishna Das in a few days.

Even as Prachanda has been reiterating his call for larger communist unity, Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of UML – the largest mainstream communist party – has once again scoffed at the idea. On Saturday, Nepal ruled out the possibility of unity with the Maoists in near future. "Owing to different viewpoint of looking at Marxism, international situation and domestic reasons, unity is impossible at this point," Nepal said.

Source: Nepal News, May 13, 2007