Kathmandu 1 July: A pressure to resign from both responsibilities, premiership and chairmanship, has been mounted upon prime minister KP Sharma Oli in the ongoing NCP standing committee meeting. The other chairman including 4 secretariat members on Tuesday have formally demanded his resignation after PM Oli’s disputed expression of the conspiracy being hatched by Delhi and leaders within NCP to topple down his government came at a time when NCP is having standing committee meeting.

This has posed a serious question whether there is a coincidence between the publication of Map and demand of his resignation. For this sake, we have to go back to analyze the background of how Nepal brought the new map to public.

A serious anger had been brewed in Nepal after India publicized it’s eighth edition of national map incorporating Kalapani, Nepalese territory, on 2 November, 2019. Various organizations and institutions had protested India’s move and Nepal’s foreign ministry also sent a diplomatic note to India, but India underestimated Nepal’s protest and totally ignored Nepal’s concern.

The standing committee meeting held on 15 December, 2019 under the single chairmanship of Prachanda had decided to direct the government to immediately publicize Nepal’s new map incorporating Kalapani territory. India did not respond Nepalese government despite its effort to initiate dialogue four times while coming to the last week of February. The next NCP standing committee meeting continued from 29 January to 2 February, 2020 had reiterated that Nepal government must immediately publish its official map. During the meeting PM Oli had told, “To print a map is not a great task. Instead, we are trying to bring back our land”.

It will be worth remembering Her Excellency President Biddhya Bhandari’s concern to bring Nepal’s official map to public shown before December. The government had fallen to dilemma after Pm Oli underwent kidney transplantation in March and the transmission of COVID-19 later on. 

 A state of cold war between PM Oli and the other Chairman of NCP Prachanda had brewed after the standing committee meeting held on 26 February, 2020 decided to nominate Bam Dev Gautam as the member of National Assembly. Talks between two chairmen continued after it and as a climax of this NCP secretariat meeting held on 29 April, 2020 members including Prachanda proposed Oli to resign from both responsibilities. However, Oli forwarded a condition to make Bam Dev Gautam the prime minister as a counter against the proposal.

However, both decided to go forth joining hands through a gentleman agreement during the standing committee meeting held on 2 May and agreed to handle party by Prachnada and the government by Oli.

Then after the issue of Oli’s resignation stopped. However, nothing could result as a conclusion despite many rounds of separate talks between the two chairmen and joint meeting with Madhav Nepal and Bam Dev Gautam many times. Before that ,two chairmen had protested the inaugural of newly constructed road to Mansarobar through Kalapani territory by Indian Home minister , Raj Nath Singh on 15 May issuing a joint statement. Nepal sent a diplomatic note to India through foreign ministry.

However, instead of paying attention to Nepal’s lawful concern, Indian army chief General Narvane’s explosive remarks , became public against Nepal’s concern over Kalapani through blaming Nepal for being provoked by others further. Narvane’s reaction had come to public at a time when Nepal government was presenting its annual policy and program in the parliament for the coming fiscal year.

It is an unfortunate incident that NCP secretariat members and even council of ministers were uncared and unknown about it. Nevertheless, the party secretariat meeting held in the very morning of the presentation of government’s policy and program in the parliament emphasized to include a point to issue new Map of Nepal in the government’s policy and program. The person who was typing the government’s policy and program was directed to include additional point for the issuance of new map from the meeting spot. The 276-point government policy and program extended to 269 point. Her Excellency President Biddhya Devi Bhandari had also shown special concern over the inclusion of the point related to the new map.  

Nepal government brought the new map to public on 22 may, 2020 and the parliament too endorsed it unanimously. Therefore, Rajendra Mahato, Oli, Prachanda and all should take ownership of the map and its constitutional endorsement. It should not be an issue of dispute in connection to personal roles in it.

Therefore, it will be sheer dishonesty towards nation if any one tries to make the issue of map as an individual subject of contention. NCP high command should not forget that our activities may push Nepal’s role and dialogue with our neighboring countries to further suspicion. It is also true that if NCP had not got one third of majority in the parliament, the issuance of new map might not have been possible, though it may be a point to be discussed and analyzed. National unity is the prime concern of the time in Nepal.

The tendency to run NCP not in accordance to NCP’s own style but as a a clumsy parliamentary political party is, in fact, the dispute and trouble for NCP. The main root of NCP’s dispute is to ignore party’s goal, objective, people’s mandate and aspirations and keeping an individual at the center and deification of an individual with the wrong mentality of the feeling of being unsecured and neglected.

Any one’s portfolio and capacity should be subsidiary to the wellbeing of people. Moreover, the government should be functioned on the trust and strength of party. Otherwise, the country may encounter with an accident in case of the slight deviation from it. Responsible figures should be well aware of the existence of power centers in Nepal and abroad having such concern and interest. But to drag the issue of nationality or issuance of new map as anunnecessary issue in NCP’s dispute is absolutely apolitical move. 

In other sense, NCP means the other name of chaos and turmoil. Therefore, the way to resolve this turmoil is to carry open discussions, perceive the issues cautiously, and take proper decision.  

For that cause, all the facets and sides so far accumulated from the inception of party unity till date should be mandatorily reviewed. At the cost of party unity, the issue of any leaders’ personal grievances, feeling of hurt in self-dignity and fame are subsidiary. Moreover, the main leadership or the core leadership should be ready for sacrifice and renunciation when the question of sacrifice and renunciation arise for the betterment of the party.

The technical problem surfaced currently in NCP’s life will be automatically resolved if all are ready to sacrifice. A question whether NCP high command will be ready to do so has been raised among political analysts across the globe. Therefore, there is no option to unity, unity, and unity in ruling NCP. It is a crime to seek an option to it.