Dream merchant
What will Nepal be like in 40 years when Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai will be approaching 100 years, if they survive that long? It will be one of the world’s most prosperous and advanced countries. But in 40 days? Maybe Prachanda will be the first president of the ‘Republic Nepal.’ These are the promises that Maoist manifesto, a document of commitment released last week, promises.
The manifesto that among other things promises 10,000 MW hydro-electricity generation within 10 years, almost 15 times increase in the per capita income of each Nepali and a revolutionary land-reform promising land to the tillers on domestic front, scrapping of the 1950-treaty of peace and friendship with India, review of other unequal bilateral and multilateral relations, settlement of Susta and Kalapani issues on the basis of evidences and in ‘mutual interest’ on the external front. The manifesto also says that it will stop the 193-year old practice of recruitment of the Gorkha soldiers in the British and Indian army right away.
The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (CPN-M) that has its top leadership coming from Aryan-Khas-upper castes, blamed these castes for Nepal being relegated into the current state of economic and social position, but made no promise that the leadership will go outside this group.
It insists that the country will be a Federal Democratic Republic divided into 11 provinces: two of them, Bheri-Seti and Karnali-Mahakali, based on geography; and the rest based on caste and ethnicity. Each state will be autonomous and have the right to self determination.
Despite Maoists’ present conduct and approach on the contrary, it guarantees that it will honour all the human and fundamental rights including right to property and right to religion besides freedom of the press.