Does Prachanda past his best?

By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel

Pushpa Kamal Dahal, aka Prachanda, is not the kind of person who will quietly sail into the sunset. Likewise, he also falls under the category of a person who quits without fighting. His capabilities to turn challenges into opportunities have made him a person to stand out from the crowd. But now a popular question is being tossed around among the people ‘Does Prachanda past his best?’.
Prachanda led the decade-long armed struggle demanding the formation of the constituent assembly and the abolishment of monarchy. The conflict killed over 17000 Nepalese people destroying property worth millions. At the core of the conflict, the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba set a bounty of one million on him. With the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord in 2006, the decade-long hostility finally came to an end paving the avenues for lasting peace and development. Two years later, the election to the constituent assembly was held in which CPN-Maoists secured a thumping victory under the leadership of Prachanda. The first meeting of the constituent assembly abolished the monarchy and Nepal ushered into a republican set-up. Prchanda became the first Prime Minister of the republic of Nepal.
A key architect of the People’s Movement, Prachanda has always remained a power center ever since he joined peaceful politics. Within the party, Prachanda is held in high regard. The party leaders never tire of showering blessings on him saying he can guide the nation. Even his political opponents consider him a towering personality having empathy, charisma and vision. Though he became the prime minister three times on separate occasions, Prachanda is the most unlucky politician in Nepalese political history.
Soon after he became the PM for the first time, Prachanda unnecessarily poked his nose over Pashupathi Nath issues saying the Indian priest in the temple would be removed. His decision sparked uproar and upset our southern neighbor. He buckled under the pressure built up by the mass protest allegedly under the instruction of external forces. Prachanda does a U-turn saying the Indian priest will stay in the temple. This is where his relationship with New Delhi soured and still remains so.
While the nation was in the process of electing the first President of the republic of Nepal, Prachanda made a false commitment assuring Girja Prasad Koirala to become the first President. This is where he committed yet another blunder. In a recent televised interview, Prachanda admitted that it was the wrong decision on his part to play the spoilsport. According to him, the country would have not seen political wrangling had he supported the proposal and the politics would have been much better politically in the present context.
His comrades in hand always viewed him as a person with hidden interests. His relationship with Baburam Bhattarai never remained cordial during and after the people’s war. After Bhattarai abandoned Maoist ideology and quit the mother party to form a new party under his leadership, Prachanda said that he tolerated Bhattarai for over three decades saying he is a person with a fickle mind and it is very unlikely that people would tolerate and accept him when he will lead his party.
No saner would disagree with the fact that Prachanda was an influential politician who was viewed as a game-changer in his initial days. Many feel that Prachanda has the ability to consolidate power and remain a power center. But the situation is very different now, especially after recent political wrangling which forced him to step down as the Prime Minister in July 2024
A vocal critic of Baburam Bhattarai, Prachanda is leaving no stone unturned to woo his former comrades. If media reports are any guide, he even proposed Bhattarai rejoin the Maoist Centre and become a force to reckon with. But given the character of Bhattarai, he is very unlikely to rejoin his hands with Prachanda.
Many political observers say that Prachanda has lost his all power and strengths. He lacks the strength to influence political decisions as per his will. So much so, he has to depend on party that lacks political capital to make his voice heard. This is a clear indication that Prachanda’s hey days are over.
From his first day of the people’s movement to the prime minster of the country for the third time, Prachanda has seen many ups and downs. Within this period, his many comrades parted ways citing dissatisfaction to form a new party under their leadership. Likewise, his fiercest enemy, Sher Bahadur Deuba who set a bounty of one million on him, became the bedfellow and formed the coalition government under Prachanda’s leadership in 2022. Media that supported his government in the past are now spiting venom against him.
But now his political career seems to be at high risk. Prachanda has lost his grip within the party which does not bode well for him. Despite leading the country in and out of transformative political conflict and becoming key signatories of the constitution, Prachanda has always remained an insecure leader. He does not miss any opportunity to remind people of his revolutionary contribution. Perhaps this insecurity is the result of a lack of intellectual credentials like his comrade Baburam Bhattarai who is known as the ideologue of Maoist conflict.
No doubt, his political career seems to be sinking remarkable manner. But will Prchanda prove his critics wrong and make a strong comeback! Prachanda will turn 71 in December 2024. Will he be able to say that his age is just a number and actively engaged in politics? Likewise, will he prove us wrong by not quietly sailing into sunset?  We all are waiting for his response.