Eight years after they split ways, the Nepali Congress is poised to join a coalition government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre). The arrangement between the two parties is for Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba to succeed Mr. Prachanda as Prime Minister after nine months, and to retain power until the elections scheduled for 2018. In hindsight, the lack of a power-sharing understanding between the centrist NC and the left-radical Maoists over the last eight years stymied consensus over key constitutional issues, and thereby a logical conclusion to the peace process that began in 2006. Distrust between the two parties, primarily due to one-upmanship and ideological differences, meant the inter-party bonhomie that brought about the end of the civil war in 2006, and the transition to a republic in 2008, were short-lived. The cost of this battle for power between the NC and the Maoists has been high. The renewed alliance between the two should smoothen the way forward on a number of crucial issues.
The alliance between Mr. Prachanda and Mr. Deuba, both key actors during the 2000s, could help the Truth and Reconciliation Commission complete its scrutiny of war crimes and bring about a resolution. This process was not helped by the outgoing K.P. Oli government’s penchant for politicisation. The NC and the CPN(M-C) have also shown a greater inclination to address the other knotty issue — the federalist aspirations of Madhesi, Janajati and Tharu groups. The Maoists had, after all, supported their demands for a comprehensive federal restructuring of Nepal, and the late NC leader, G.P. Koirala, championed state restructuring, included as an aim in the interim Constitution before elections to the Constituent Assembly. As Prime Minister, Mr. Oli had, however, refused to countenance any change in the status quo on the federal question, igniting protests in the Terai. Besides, his government’s recourse to jingoism and the ‘China card’ to ward off criticism frayed relations with India. Mr. Prachanda and Mr. Deuba have stressed the need to rebuild ties with India. On its part, New Delhi should absorb the lessons from the past decade. It is clear that the Indian establishment sought the isolation of Mr. Prachanda and his party in 2010, paving the way for the rise of status quoist forces and persistent instability. A hands-off approach by India that allows the chief political actors in Nepal to sort out domestic issues while delivering promised help in post-earthquake reconstruction and economic aid would restore a healthy equilibrium to this vital bilateral relationship.
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