NEPAL- A DOOMED DEMOCRACY

Introduction
Nepal, the strategically located 'Buffer State' between India and China, is called by few today
as a 'Duffer State". With China consolidating a strong foot-hold in Nepal ,India has lost the status
of being the 'most preferred neighbour nation' to Nepal. It was the only 'Hindu Nation' in the
world, till the Maoist movement, through a violent up-raising threw out the monarchy, dethroned
the King, Gyanendra Shah and declared Nepal as a democratic nation. However the repeated
efforts of all stakeholders and political parties, so far have miserably failed to frame a perfect
Constitution which reflect the aspirations of all Nepalis from its diverse terrains, consisting of
valleys and mountains. Every political actor and power centre seems to agree that the country
needs to be rescued from the mess it is in. Each one has a prescription to remedy the problems,
but nobody is ready to arrive at a national consensus.

Resentment against India

Narayankaji Shrestha, Vice Chairman of the ruling CPN( Maoist Centre), met several Indian
leaders in Delhi- Ram Madhav (BJP) to Sitaram Yechury(CPM)- recently to warn them that "
Indian interference in Nepal's politics must stop, and let Nepalis run their show". Indirectly he
blamed India for the prolonged transition of Nepal towards a constitutional republic and for all
the misfortune happened to Nepal in the recent past. He aired his concern about the future of
Nepal- further uncertainty in the state of affairs may bring the monarchy back. A major section
of the people of Nepal believe that the agitation started by Madesh region against the lop- sided
new Constitution of Nepal, was orchestrated by India.

Brewing Trouble by Maoists

The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists, a splinter group of the Maoist movement which
toppled the monarchy, led by Neta Bikram Chand aka " Biplab" is currently holding it's secret
national convention " in far-west Rolpa, which is likely to announce a 'parallel' government and
renewed insurgency , something the Maoists did between 1996 and 2006 to topple the King. In
the armed struggle over 17,000/- Nepalis died. The nation went through troubled times.

Revival of Hinduism
Parallel to Maoist up-rise, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), a unified alliance of different pro-
Hindutva groups, held its first 'Unity Conference' and left it for a national meet to decide whether
Nepal's status as a Hindu Kingdom must be restored. In another similar move the dethroned King
Gyanendra Shah, set out on a two- week trip to Madesh to assess the public mood and to gauge
the possibility of monarchy's return, giving credence to the fear expressed by Mr Shrestha in
Delhi. The King exhorted the public- " to make the political leaders accountable for things going
wrong and save the country before it's too late".
New Dead-lock

Immediate amendments to the Constitution giving larger share of seats to Madhesh in local
bodies, provincial and federal legislature as demanded, is being resented by the main opposition,
the Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist. The CPN- UML wants the local bodies
poll to be held by the end of May, 2017, without amending the Constitution. Prime Minister
Pushpa Kamal Dahal ( popularly known as 'Prachanda') , will have to decide by another few
days, whose side he wants to take.
In the meanwhile Ms Valerie Julluand, UN Residential coordinator, met PM and expressed her
dissatisfaction over inadequate powers being given to the 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission'
to investigate alleged human right excesses committed by the State and the Maoists during the
conflict.

Failing Economy
In the midst of all these political developments, Nepal's economy is showing signs of
unprecedented downside. A 400 Billion trade deficit in the first half of the financial year and the
banking system is facing a liquidity crunch, which has forced the real estate business to plummet
badly.Inspite of the massive aids offered by China for several infrastructural projects, the
economy is in a dampened state.

Conclusion
People may not care whether there is an election, but they are fed up now, losing patience
over their political leaders who are not ready to cooperate with each other to arrive at an
amicable solution. A strong political will and a sincere effort are expected from the government
to deal with this precarious situation. The pressure is building upon all stake holders- the public
may not pardon them further. The current Constitution stipulates a mandatory provision which
proclaims that the present federal parliament shall cease to exist on January 21, 2018, and a fresh
house, provisional legislature and local bodies are to be reconstituted before the deadline. With
so many disagreements and bad blood around, the chances of Nepal missing 2008 deadline
seems real.