Politics, it is said, is ruthless. It can bring even the most powerful to the streets.
It happened in 2006. The then king four years before that had wrested powers using the army. He locked up political leaders and sent soldiers to the media houses to stop probable dissent. He even cut the internet and telephone connection of citizens. He sent his supporters to the streets and asked them to welcome his coup by lighting up their homes.
Nobody opposed his step with the boots on the ground. He even held a so-called local election to try to democratize his coup. Rajendra Lingden was elected president of Jhapa District Development Committee as a champion of that royal putsch.
Nepali Congress (NC) leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula from Jhapa did not get after Lingden. It ill behove Sitaula's stature. He started to work against Gyanendra's autocratic rule as the chief associate of his party president Girija Prasad Koirala.
He was Koirala's right hand in bringing the Maoists, UML and other parties together against the king by taking India into confidence. He played an important role in signing of the 12-point agreement.
The Janaandolan II started for restoration of democracy in Nepal stepping on that very 12-point agreement. The then king eventually had to bow down to the people. The parties that were in favor of republicanism got an overwhelming majority in the first Constituent Assembly (CA) election. RPP-Nepal that believed monarchy is necessary did not win any constituency in the first past the post (FPTP) system and won just four seats in proportional representation (PR) system.
The CA passed the motion for republicanism tabled by the then home minister Sitaula in the first meeting. Gyanendra, who seemed all-powerful just four years earlier, had to haplessly listen to the announcement of republic.
Gyanendra had to leave Narayanhiti Palace for implementation of republic in a way visible to the people. Sitaula went to the palace to meet Gyanendra as the government's representative to deliver that message. Gyanendra left the palace without any resistance the very next day.
Gyanendra may perhaps never attain a status to exact revenge on Sitaula in his life. But Gyanendra's acolyte Lingden is on the battleground to defeat Sitaula just a decade later. And it is ironic that Gyanendra apologist Lingden is supported by Sitaula's ally in the fight against the monarchy—CPN-UML and the Maoists.
Votes received by parties at the ward level in the recent local election show that Lingden alone cannot defeat Sitaula in Jhapa-3. But UML cadres are working very hard and with immense enthusiasm to defeat Sitaula and get Lingden elected at any cost. They argue that RPP will fail to pass the threshold of three percent to become national party after this election and Lingden will eventually join UML.
"I will give one vote to sun and another for cow," UML cadre Dadhiram Shiwakoti said. "Our chairman has not supported Lingden in a constituency where UML is strong for no reason. Lingden will become an independent lawmaker and ultimately enter UML."
Lingden will easily defeat Sitaula if he gets all the UML votes. At least the votes received in the local election say as much.
NC and Sitaula, therefore, are dedicating all their energy to remind the voters that Lingden is a royalist. "Who votes for a royalist instead of Sitaula who played a role in abolishing monarchy?" a voter with Giri surname from Bimalnagar, Bhadrapur said. "We will get the aggrieved votes of UML and CPN (Maoist Center). We are in a position to win."
A few Maoist cadres we spoke to in Jhapa-3 also confided with us that they will not vote for a royalist. "The leaders allied at top without looking at the local scenario. People are not blind followers. They call themselves communist and then ask us to vote for a royalist and supporter of Panchayat regime," a lady with Adhikari surname from Bhadrapur-2 fumed.
"It is not necessary that Lingden will get all the communist votes. I am a Maoist and will vote for the party in PR system. But I am confused about what to do in FPTP system," another Maoist supporter from Haldibari said.
A few UML cadres also said they have yet to decide about whether to vote for Lingden or not. "There are more UML votes here. Many UML cadres are angry," Ram Limbu of Haldibari 4 said. "It is difficult for cadres here to comply with the decision taken at the central level. I am also in a dilemma. I will vote for UML in PR system but don't know who I will vote for in FPTP system."
But the majority of UML and Maoist cadres we spoke to said they will vote for Lingden. We went to almost all the wards in Jhapa-3. A whopping 159 of 300 voters Setopati talked to said they will vote for Lingden. Just 106 said they will vote for Sitaula. Twenty-seven are undecided. Similarly, eight, out of which seven are UML supporters, said they will vote for their respective parties in PR system but have yet to decide who to vote for in FPTP system.
Lingden is cleverly avoiding the agenda of monarchy and republicanism raised vehemently by Sitaula even though his party's manifesto mentions restoration of monarchy. Lingden himself is committed toward monarchy. But he has abandoned the agenda of monarchy as he needs votes of 'republican' UML and Maoists to win.
He is trying to drag Sitaula into the ring where it is easier for him to compete. Lingden and his supporters are only talking of development as if the debate over monarchy and republicanism is worthless. The voters here are also interested more in development.
"Lingden got the Mechi road graveled when he was president of District Development Committee. He got the road to Birtamode from Rajgadh through Charkose jungle graveled, and constructed temples," Nanda Lal Bhattarai of Kachankaval said. "He came to help us at the time of flood even though he had lost the election."
Development is not just an agenda where Lingden gets credit but also the Achilles' heel for Sitaula. Many locals blame Sitaula for the poor condition of the road connecting Bhadrapur with the East West Highway and other connecting roads to Bhadrapur. NC supporters also concede that Sitaula is harmed by the issue of roads.
"Sitaula is a national leader. He has made budget arrangements for everything from schools to bridges. He has addressed the grievances of locals, given jobs to many," a voter with Dhakal surname, who has a shop in Bhadrapur-8, said. "But the works he has done have been overshadowed by the poor state of roads."
Lingden's supporters are also harsh in their criticism of Sitaula. "We have ingested more dust than food," a voter with Regmi surname from Bhadrapur-4 said. "Lingden blacktopped and graveled roads, and erected electricity poles when he was president of District Development Committee for just eight months."
"Sitaula focused on individuals. He got many recruited in the police and army, but did nothing for the benefit of people," Ratan Limbu of Bhadrapur-4 said.
Many NC voters themselves are defensive on the issue of development. "Nobody could have harmed Sitaula had he done visible works. He would have been stronger than even the three parties together," a 74-year-old Sanjel man from Bhadrapur-5 said. "We are NC from the beginning and will vote for the party even now."
Lingden stands to benefit even from caste votes. Big settlements of Limbus who have emigrated down from Panchthar, Tehrathum, Taplejung and elsewhere are in Jhapa-3.
"There is a Limbu candidate. I will have to vote for him," Man Bahadur Limbu of Birtamode-10 said. "I am thinking about voting along the caste lines." He had voted for a Gurung candidate from NC in Birtamode-10 to get the candidate elected as ward chairman.
There is a significant presence of former Indian armymen in this ward that was settled by the then king Mahendra. Lingden is also expected to get votes in Sainik Bazar with big population of Rais and Limbus.
Sitaula is in a difficult situation as the agenda of monarchy and republicanism has been overshadowed by development in this manner. The main reasons for Sitaula's troubles, however, are his colleagues in the struggle against monarchy. Sitaula, who has good relation with both UML and the Maoists, had never imagined that they will support the general secretary of a party that advocates for monarchy to defeat him. He may well have remained in the PR list of his party had he got even a slight hint of that.
He has not got full backing from even his own party. NC did not break the nation-wide alliance with RPP even though it openly allied with UML and Maoist Center in Jhapa.
The fate ultimately has brought one of the protagonists of implementation of republicanism against a 'foot soldier' of monarchy.
Will monarchist Lingden shut the doors of republican parliament to Sitaula who had tabled the motion for republicanism and shown Gyanendra the way out of Narayanhiti Palace? Can politics be so ruthless?
Photo: Sanjib Bagale
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