New Technology

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda Monday announced his resignation following a flaming row over the sacking of the army chief.

Prachanda, Nepal's first Maoist prime minister, announced his resignation in a televised address to the nation. He blamed Nepal's political parties and foreign powers for hindering his government.

Nepal's three-year-old peace process and experiment in political partnership between former insurgents and pro-democracy forces today appeared to have been dealt a crippling blow after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', on the diktat of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (CPN-M), sacked Army chief General Rookmangud Katawal for "insubordination".

Dahal's move, which sparked protests from most political parties, including ruling coalition partners, and put a big question mark on the continuance of the government, was rejected by President Rambaran Yadav who, as the Supreme Commander, directed Katawal to continue as Army chief. Yadav even sent a letter to this effect to Dahal but the Prime Minister's office declined to acknowledge it.

The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) held an emergency meeting after Katawal's sacking and decided not only to withdraw its ministers from the Cabinet but also move a no-confidence motion to bring down the government. The main Opposition Nepali Congress decided to support the no-confidence motion.

"We will explore formation of a new government because the Maoists have gone against the principle of consensus, the basis for our party joining the Cabinet," said Ishwar Pokharel, general secretary of the UML.

President Yadav stepped in after 17 political parties including the CPN-UML, Madheshi Janadhikar Forum and Nepal Sadbhavna Party — all partners in the Maoist-led coalition — told him that the Prime Minister's action of dismissing Katawal and appointing Kul Bahadur Khadka as officiating chief of the Nepal Army was illegal, that they were not party to the decision. The 17 parties are considering forming a national government.

Yadav reminded the Prime Minister that what he did was contrary to his assurance to the head of state as well as other political parties. Dahal, who had earlier been warned by his party's central secretariat that his failure to sack Katawal would prove his "unworthiness as party chief and leader", ignored warnings from coalition partners that they would not back the decision.

Dahal summoned Katawal this morning to his official residence and handed him a letter that the General refused to accept. But it was forwarded to Army headquarters after Lt Gen Khadka, the second in line of command, was named the officiating chief. "We are confident that the Army will back our move," said Maoist leader and Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai after the Cabinet meeting.

It is learnt that Katawal called a meeting of senior Generals and told them he accepts the civilian supremacy — a cause that the Nepal Army has always been upholding — and that he will wait for instructions from the Supreme Commander. He also said he will be free to take legal recourse.

Fear and tension gripped Kathmandu this morning after word spread that the Prime Minister was determined to sack Katawal and bring in Khadka. The Maoist party secretariat had been urging the Prime Minister to "expose" India and other foreign forces which didn't want any action against Katawal. "He is the Army chief of foreigners. Why should we keep him?" Law and Justice Minister Dev Gurung told a public meeting yesterday.The Maoist secretariat asked the party's youth wing, the Young Communist League, to take positions in Kathmandu so that any move to challenge the sacking of Katawal could be countered.

Nepal's first Maoist-led coalition government was plunged into a major crisis after only eight months of its rule when two of its allies quit Sunday after the ruling party took the unilateral decision to sack the army chief, Gen. Rookmangud Katawal.

Ministers from the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), including the deputy prime minister, tendered their resignations to Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' after a day-long drama marked by street violence and tension.

Besides the UML, the second-largest party in the ruling alliance that held six key portfolios, a minor partner, the ethnic Sadbhavana Party with one minister also announced its withdrawal of support to the Prachanda government.

The UML has now begun consultations with the main opposition party, former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Nepali Congress (NC) to mull forming a new government. The NC says it is backed by 16 other parliamentary parties.

Under fire from both the opposition and its own allies, the Maoists too have begun hectic parleys with other parties to muster support and say they have three fringe parties behind them.

The sudden developments came after a nearly two-month-long stand-off, Prachanda and his party Sunday finally replaced Katawal -- just three months before he was due to retire -- with senior army officer Lt.Col. Kul Bahadur Khadka, despite objections by his own allies and the international community, especially India.

'The cabinet has decided to remove the army chief since he could not provide a satisfactory explanation to the three charges levied by the government,' Maoist Information and Communications Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is also the spokesman of the government, said after the cabinet meeting Sunday.

Katawal was asked to explain why did he continue military recruitment despite the government's halt order and reinstated eight brigadier-generals who had been retired by the defence ministry. He was also rapped over the army pulling out of the National Games when the Maoist combatants too decided to take part.

The four allies of the government - the UML, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), Sadbhavana Party and Communist Party of Nepal (United) - however, distanced themselves from the sacking, saying they had asked the Maoists not to take a hasty decision.

Now the main parliamentary parties under the NC have urged President Ram Baran Yadav, who is the constitutional head of the government, to reject the cabinet order.

Yadav, who in the past asked the Maoists to act consensually with the other parties, was reported to have termed the cabinet decision 'unconstitutional, illegal and against consensus'.

'The constitution says that all decisions regarding the army have to be made on the basis of consensus,' said legal journalist and author Ananta Luitel.

'Since there was no consensus, the president can either ask the Supreme Court for advice or send the cabinet order to the interim parliament for its decision.'

If the president sends the dismissal order to parliament, it would be put to vote and the Maoists are likely t be defeated.

Though the Maoists have been threatening to remove the president if he opposes the army chief's dismissal, Luitel said that would be impossible legally.

'The president can be removed only if he is impeached by two-third of the parliament members,' he said. 'The Maoists can't sack him on their own.'

Meanwhile, former army generals said Katawal was likely to challenge his removal in court.

While the leaders planned strategies, violence erupted on Kathmandu's main thoroughfares as thousands of Maoist cadres, celebrating Katawal's dismissal, clashed with NC supporters, who began condemning the 'Maoist authoritarianism'.

India could once again play a critical role in the new crisis.

In 2006, it was India that helped the Maoists return to mainstream politics after a 10-year armed insurgency. However, the hardliners in the Maoist party have been growing increasingly hostile to India and accusing the neighbour of intervention.

Though New Delhi had sent its ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood to meet Prachanda seeral times, asking him not to take any unilateral step about the beleaguered army chief, the advice was rejected by the Maoist hawks.

Now with the Maoist government in danger of collapsing, India could once again have a major role in making or breaking the coalition.