People's struggle grows

By David Hoskins

Published Feb 17, 2005 11:16 PM

Nepal's absolute monarch, King Gyanendra, dismissed his appointed government and assumed direct control over the state in early February. In the aftermath of his emergency declaration, Gyanendra immediately moved to suspend constitutional rights by censoring the press and locking up prominent leaders of the parliamentary opposition. In addition, telephone wires were cut and all flights into and out of the country have been grounded.

The king's actions are in response to the increasingly powerful revolution waged by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) or CPN(M).

Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, leader of the dismissed government, proved unable to force the revolutionaries to the table for peace talks. Meanwhile, Gyanendra was faced with the risk of losing his throne as the rebels continued to grow in size and capability. His assumption of dictatorial powers is a last-ditch effort to prevent the overthrow of Nepal's monarchy.

Since its inception in 1996, the CPN(M)-led People's War has successfully rooted itself in the peasantry and oppres sed castes of Nepali society. In the beginning, the revolutionary forces were small and lacked adequate arms. Today the People's Liberation Army stands close to 15,000 strong and another 50,000 revolutionaries are organized into local militias. (BBC News: "Q & A: Nepal Crisis," Feb. 1)

The rebels currently control almost 80 percent of the country and millions are now living in liberated zones. ("Dispatches from the People's War in Nepal" by Li Onesto, Dec. 1, 2004) Revolutionary government structures are being built alongside the construction of sanitary, health care, and education facilities in the base areas.

Despite years of imperialist intervention from the United States and Britain, the armed struggle continues to advance.

It is unlikely that King Gyanendra's gamble will pay off. Even the imperialist media has run headlines proclaiming the move as the "Nepal king's biggest gamble" and "Nepalis divided over royal coup." (BBC News) The pro-government forces are weakened by the division between the royalists and the parliamentary parties affected by the king's recent diktat.

The Nepali Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist (UML) have been forced underground by the harsh measures against dissent. It is possible that certain progressive elements, particularly within the UML's youth wing, will now join with the revolutionary forces to bring down the monarchy once and for all. In fact, this is exactly what the CPN(M) has called for in a recent statement articulating the need for a broad united front against the king.

Meanwhile, the measures appear to have done little to diminish the power of the CPN(M). Just last week, militants attacked a prison in southwestern Nepal and freed 150 inmates, including many rebels. At least five policemen were killed in the incident. (CNN, Feb. 10)

The struggle in Nepal highlights the authenticity of scientific socialism. No amount of foreign intervention or maneuvering by the king has squelched the flames of revolution. The people of Nepal continue to march forward despite the obstacles.

It looks as if it is only a matter of time before victory will belong to the people of Nepal as they embark on a new journey to construct a revolutionary state.

This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
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