City-centred revolution in the offing, says Maoist leader Gajurel
07 February, 2007
By Gopal Khanal
NEW DELHI, Feb 3 - Maoist Politburo member Chandra Prakash Gajurel "Gaurav" Saturday revealed that the CPN-Maoist's participation in the interim parliament and the recently thawing relations with India was "merely a stratagem" for declaration of a republic Nepal.
Speaking at an interaction programme organised by the Maoist affiliated Democratic Students Union (DSU) of the Jawarlal Nehru University (JNU), Gajurel stated that his party's foray into mainstream politics was also a part of their "ongoing revolution."
He disclosed his party's strategies in reply to the Indian Maoist affiliated intellectuals and leftist leaders who accused the CPN-M of being "unable to maintain its revolutionary image."
He assured his supporters that Nepali Maoists had (not?) "abandoned its revolution but were instead strengthening themselves to this end and that in the recent days, the party had managed to achieve a substantial increase in the PLA fighting force."
"Since entering mainstream politics, we have increased our military strength from 10,000 to a 37,000-strong PLA. This in itself is a great achievement," Gajurel said.
"We are now capable of launching a fresh revolt any time."
Gajurel's comments have confirmed conflicting reports in that past that the Maoists had been busy recruiting PLA fighters even after entering mainstream politics.
Gajurel, who is also the in-charge of the party's "international command", revealed that if the parliament failed to get results, they would also conduct a "city-based revolution."
"We are going to the elections and make sure that the results are in our favour. If the oppositions capture one booth, we will capture five," he added.
He also divulged that a "People's Volunteers" was being formed for the party's city-based revolutions, elections and other "strategic activities".
He also said that the "People's Volunteers" would have around 100,000 members, adding that the Maoist Chairman Prachanda would soon make an announcement to this end.
Gajurel further stated that the refusal by senior leaders to participate in the interim parliament was also part of the strategy.
"Why didn't Chairman Prachanda, Baburam (Bhattarai), Badal and I himself go into the interim legislature? Because, once there, they (parliamentarians) must speak the language of revolution, something those who were there on frontlines are capable of."
He also said, if necessary, the CPN-M parliamentarians would lead the street and city-centred revolutions.
Disclosing that his party would take up guns as soon as peaceful measures failed to get results, the Maoist leader further added that his party was capable of being "locked and loaded within an hour."
Gaurav's claim of the PLA's "ability" to be armed and ready for combat within has raised suspicions regarding the ongoing UN monitored Maoist arms and armies registration and storage.
Union's former chairperson, Rona Wilson had chaired the interaction programme that continued till midnight in the JNU's Sutlej hostel, in which around 100 leftist students and intellects were present.
While Gajurel was busy giving away the party's internal strategy, members of his own Indian association, People's Right Protection Committee (PRPC), however, appeared "uncomfortable".
Gajurel, who was the chief guest during the inauguration of a PRPC programme recently, had faced criticism by representatives of Indian and international revolutionary forces who had accused his party of giving-in to a progressive outlook and forgetting the notion of class struggle,
Although he did not reply to those criticisms in an open forum, he disclosed his party's "masterplan" to CPN-M's foreign well wishers that Friday night. During the programme, he also claimed that 80 percent of Nepali territory was still "under the Maoists' control."
He also stated that the cordial relations with Indian government was part of a strategy, adding that his party couldn't do its job while India remained incensed.
Link
posted by Bimal 7.2.07,
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Interview with C. P. Gajurel (Gaurav)
28 January, 2007
.....'They were curious to know about the technicalities of our party. They questioned me regarding many aspects of our party. How many members are there? How many in the central committee? How is the party structured? When I said that my party ethics do not allow me to divulge any information, they said, "We can kill someone, dump the body somewhere and no will be any the wiser; Tamil Nadu is infamous for such activities." '........................
EKantipur News:(Interview by Yeshoda Timsina)
22nd January, 2007
Excerpts of a recent interview with the CPN-Maoist party's in-charge of international affairs and politburo member, Chandra Prakash Gajurel (Gaurav).
Q. How did you get arrested in Chennai?
C. P. Gajurel: I was on my way to Europe for some official party business. I was using a fake passport, which belonged to a British individual; the passport had my photograph instead of his. While changing the photo, it was slightly crumpled at the edges.
My friends had warned me that it was risky. And eventually the immigration officers questioned me. I was giving my answer when the wife of the British High Commissioner came to drop her husband off who was about to leave for London. As it turned out, she herself was a diplomat too.
When my passport was shown to her, she questioned me about London. However, I was unable to answer even her easiest questions and instead, I cross-questioned her, "Who are you to be questioning me?" And although she didn't apologize, she did say that I had made the airport staff suspicious. The next day, the British High Commissioner himself arrived there.
I was interrogated all night. Finally they found out that my passport was fake. I identified myself before the authorities. The party manifesto itself dictates that high officers, when caught, cannot hide their real identities.
Q. So you were at fault?
Gajurel: Yes. At a time with the "red corner notice" and a price on our heads, it was impossible to travel with our original credentials. But it was extremely necessary to go to Europe to extend the party ranks. Thus, I had to take the risk.
Q. How did the Chennai Police treat you after they realized that you were a Maoist member?
Gajurel: They were curious to know about the technicalities of our party. They questioned me regarding many aspects of our party. How many members are there? How many in the central committee?
How is the party structured? When I said that my party ethics do not allow me to divulge any information, they said, "We can kill someone, dump the body somewhere and no will be any the wiser; Tamil Nadu is infamous for such activities."
They told me that even if they sympathized with me, they could not save me.
Q. How was the treatment inside the jail?
Gajurel: In the beginning the police officer there ordered me to be placed in "solitary confinement" because I was an extremist leader. There was a communication problem as they did not understand English and I did not know Tamil. The food was pathetic and water was so dirty, I got sick as soon as I drank it. After a week, my wife visited me. For the next one and a half months I survived on the water, bread and fruits that she brought me. They started treating me like the other prisoners only after I threatened the authorities to go on a hunger strike.
Q. Was there anyone worth recalling that you met during your jail term?
Gajurel: There was a journalist named Navkiran Gopal. He used to publish a newspaper named "Navkiran" twice a week. At that time the infamous Indian dacoit Veerappan had kidnapped south Indian actor Rajkumar. In order to have Rajkumar released, Gopal was acting as a facilitator. But when Veerappan got killed then Gopal was arrested. While I shared a cell with him, I got to listen to the radio. One day he had to write a letter in English so I wrote it for him. When the authorities saw that, they separated us and sent me back to my initial cell.
Q. Definitely staying in jail is not very fruitful, but what do you think is the advantage you gained because of it?
Gajurel: After my arrest, demonstrations were staged in more than 35 countries all over the world. Everyone was worried that I might be extradited back to Nepal, which is probably why it never happened. Some inmates used to say, "You have become more famous than the chief minister of Chennai." On my court hearing days there used to be hundreds of people outside the court. Some people were skeptical to the point that they asked me whether I had got myself arrested on purpose. My arrest and the arrest of many of our party members was very helpful in establishing us in South Asia. In my opinion jail is one place where you should learn to take every negative thing positively.
Q. After you had been taken to Jalpaigudi jail you were deemed a political detainee?
Gajurel: No I was labeled a political detainee only in the last two months of imprisonment. During that period, even the facilities given to me in prison were good.
Q. Did you ever think that you would be released this soon?
Gajurel: Considering the charges against me I should have been released even earlier. But the Indian government had plotted to detain me longer under many other false charges. Our early release was a result of the rapidly changing political situation of Nepal in those days.
Q. Moving to another topic, what are the future international policies of the CPN-M?
Gajurel: Our policies will definitely be based on the Panchasheel. We will maintain friendly relations with all other countries. Of course, we will decide what our relations are going to be like with each individual nation. Any agreements and treaties that we will sign in future will be in favour of Nepal and Nepalis.
Q. Do you mean that the treaties and agreements that were signed earlier were not in favour of Nepal?
Gajurel: Yes, they had been signed under unfavourable and different circumstances. We are merely saying that those old treaties like the one signed with India in 1950 should be replaced with new ones.
Q. Haven't issues of reviewing the past treaties and agreements also arisen?
Gajurel: Why bring up reviewing when two nations are in agreement? This would be like making an amendment all over again. Our focus is on annulment and new formations not on reviewing past actions.
Q. What is the reason behind the 180 degree turn in your attitude towards India?
Gajurel: Earlier, even India was against the Maoist revolution. So naturally, our views weren't positive towards them at that time. But recently, we have felt a positive change in their attitude towards us. Even when the 12 point agreement was being formulated India did support it indirectly. We don't dwell on the past. We might have stopped calling India an expansionist state, but our attitude towards them will depend upon their approach to Nepal and Nepalis in future.
Q. How are your relations with America?
Gajurel: America is a typical imperialist. In order to implement its diplomatic policies in India and China, Nepal is a strategically important place for America.
Q. Aren't you closer to China, in terms of ideology?
Gajurel: China is a communist country only in name's sake. But the fact is, they are capitalist in nature. But in any case, we treat them like a good neighbour. But, obviously since China is 1600 kilometres further away than India we do not have as much to do with China as with India. Thus, "closeness to India is the need of the hour for the country today."
Q. What kind of relations will you have with other rebel forces outside Nepal?
Gajurel: They are all good. Of course, that doesn't mean that we are in a state of complete unanimity.
Q. So, isn't it that this whole revolution was, after all is said and done, to get in to Parliament with its old and ineffective structure and ideology?
Gajurel: Our revolt was and will always be for Nepal and Nepalis. Our revolt always had the mass as its focal point. Nobody admits that they are hungry for power. The Nepali people will be the judge of whether the 83 MPs that we have selected are worthy or not. We will just have to wait and see.
Q. Your party too must want a share in the important ministries?
Gajurel: That is still left to be seen. We are waiting to see whether there will be a suitable climate in which we can choose portfolios. The way the ministries have been shared at the moment, we will probably get ministries too. We have even heard rumors that government officials are being made ready to prevent us from doing our duties. We are just going to wait and react as and when necessary.
Q. Why has the power-sharing been limited to the Eight Party Alliance? Isn't there anybody outside the Eight Party Alliance in the country?
Gajurel: Why not? We have the Civil society! We have seen the huge role of civil society during and after the April movement. So, we are always watchful that the civil society members get the respect they deserve. You will see the results of this in the coming days.
Q. You have been given 83 seats in the Interim Legislature; do you think you can maintain the number after the elections?
Gajurel: You talk about maintaining our seats, we are confident that we will form the government.
Q. What are the possibilities of all Left parties coming together?
Gajurel: We urge not only the Left parties but also the Congress to unite. We are even ready to give up Prachandapath if that is what it takes.
posted by Bimal 28.1.07,
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JNU goes to Nepal House - Holiday after making history
17 January, 2007
JNU goes to Nepal House - Holiday after making history
Kathmandu, Jan. 16: “Jawaharlal Nehru University is going to run Nepal now,” remarked a Nepalese politician. That may not be entirely true but what prompted the remark was the induction of three new MPs — all from JNU — last night in the new interim parliament of Nepal.
Two of them — Amresh Singh and Hari Roka — are still completing their PhD in JNU. Singh expects to finish his thesis within a year at the School of International Studies.
Roka hopes to submit his thesis in the economics department by this July. The third, Bamdev Chetri, was assistant librarian in JNU before he was arrested by India for his Maoist links and closeness to another former JNU student, Baburam Bhattarai. He was deported to face the torture of King Gyanendra’s police.
Former foreign minister Chakara Prasad Bastola, himself a product of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), remarked: “The BHU-centred leadership of Nepal reflected the pre- and post-1947 reality. Calcutta, Patna and Allahabad universities also played a role in influencing the Nepalese leadership once. Today, that role is being played to some extent by JNU.”
Hari Roka, who was jailed at the age of 13 for seven years for participating in a demonstration, and Amresh are both familiar faces to those in Delhi who took any interest in Nepal.
“JNU expanded my horizons. It gave me the space to talk about democracy and freedom.
It is that experience which made some of us argue for negotiations between the political parties and the Maoists,” said Singh, who has been nominated by the Nepali Congress to parliament.
Not only did JNU change them but the Nepalese students also changed opinion about Nepal in India. Hari Roka, nominated by the Maoists as a civil society representative free from their party whip in parliament, can justifiably claim credit in this regard.
The author of several seminal analytical articles in the Indian press on the Nepalese democracy movement, Roka said: “Earlier the relationship with India was mediated through retired Indian bureaucrats who organised seminars on Nepal and pontificated in the media. Our political leaders and the Kathmandu elite forged close ties with them.
“We started writing in the Indian newspapers and forged a new kind of relationship with Indian intellectuals, political parties, journalists and editors. The Indian people realised what was really happening in Nepal.”
JNU also became the hub of Nepalese political activities after the king’s retrograde action in October 2002 of dissolving parliament and then his complete takeover on February 1, 2005.
“Not only Nepalese students but even the Indian students lent support to our democracy movement. Leaders like Baburam Bhattarai, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Mahant Thakur, Krishna Sitaula, Shekhar Koirala, Hridayesh Tripathi and Rajendra Mahato came to JNU,” Singh pointed out.
“All their meetings were held either in my room in Brahmaputra Hostel or in Hari Roka’s room in Sutlej Hostel,” he recalled.
Roka, who organised news conferences of leaders of Nepalese democracy in JNU, recalls how JNU’s professors helped open political doors for them. “How can we ever forget the support given to us by professors S.D. Muni, Anand Kumar, Kamal Mitra Chinoy, Anuradha Chinoy or the president of the JNU Teachers’ Association Roopamanjari Ghosh?” Singh said.
“Nepal needs good social scientists and experts on regional development. Indian universities like JNU must train Nepalese students on a preferential basis.” Roka said.
There are long-term benefits of helping Nepalese students study in Indian universities. “India does not recognise this. Today, our students are going to the US, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan as admission in Indian universities is very difficult. This cannot be good for India,” Bastola said.
“Those educated in India have goodwill towards it with no expectation of rewards. That relationship is very strong, very positive and very objective. Today, bureaucrats think that the Indian embassy here can generate goodwill. The chemistry of such ‘goodwill’ is very different from that which comes from being educated in India,” Bastola said.
Link
posted by Bimal 17.1.07,
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India should not suspect our intentions,Maoist leader
06 January, 2007
India should not suspect our intentions, says Gajurel
A senior leader of the Maoists has said that India should not suspect its intentions despite its fraternal relations with the Maoist parties of India.
Talking to Nepal FM, Chandra Prakash Gajurel aka Gaurav, who heads the foreign relations cell of the Maoists, said, "When we join the government, then the government-to-government relations will have to be different. They are different from our fraternal relations with like-minded parties."
When asked how his party could manage to balance the relations with India if it joins the government since it has fraternal ties with the Maoist parties of India, which are launching violent struggle to topple the Indian government, Gajurel said that his party "will convince them through our behaviour" that they will never support the revolutions that aim to topple their government.
On the issue of the US government continuing to label terror tag on their party, Gajurel said that American government had always had "negative and anti-people" viewpoint vis-à-vis revolutionaries. "However, the US does not mean only the current Bush administration. There are opposition and there are common people. We think that the American people too will apply pressure on their government to change policies and continue to assist Nepal (even if the Maoists come to power)," he said.
Gajurel claimed that when Maoists come to power, the volume of foreign assistance will not decrease. "Rather they will increase substantially," he claimed.
Gajurel had been released from Indian jail along with another senior Maoist ideologue Mohan Baidya on November 31. They were released from Jalpaiguri jail after the authorities dropped charges – which included conspiring against India – against them.
Earlier, Gajurel had been transferred to the jail in Jalpaiguri after he completed his three years of jail sentence in Chennai and was released on September 18. However, he was immediately re-arrested by West Bengal police who slapped fresh charges of treason against him and moved him to a jail in their state. Gajurel was arrested on August 20, 2003 from Chennai airport as he was about to board an airplane to London. He also faced charges of using fake passports.
Reacting to the charge, Gajurel said it was a normal practice for revolutionaries around the world to use fake passports.
posted by Bimal 6.1.07,
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Nepalese Rebel Protests Will Delay Polls
02 January, 2007
Nepalese Rebel Protests Will Delay Polls
Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Nepal's rebels will delay elections planned for this year if they continue to create disputes such as objecting to establishing police posts and allowing poll officials to work, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said.
The government is talking to leaders of the rebel Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) about opening police stations closed during a 10-year insurgency, Nepalnews.com cited Koirala as saying yesterday. Rebels have agreed only to posts being established in ``sensitive areas,'' Krishna Bahadur Mahara, a rebel spokesman, said two days ago.
Election officials are needed to produce lists of voters to ensure the polls take place as scheduled in June, the prime minister said.
Nepal's government and rebels signed a peace agreement in November to end an insurgency that claimed the lives of 13,000 people and curbed economic growth in the Himalayan kingdom. The rebels will join an interim government that will organize elections for an assembly that will draw up a new constitution.
``We have agreed to re-establish police posts in very sensitive areas only on the basis of mutual understanding and not across the country,'' Nepalnews.com cited Mahara as saying Dec. 31.
Puspa Kamal Dahal, the rebel leader known as Prachanda, has agreed that officials may take up posts to help prepare the elections for the constituent assembly, Mahara said.
The creation of the interim administration, which was scheduled for last month, has been delayed because a program to disarm the rebels under United Nations supervision hasn't started. The handover will begin when monitors start their work this month.
Rebel Camps
Fighters from the rebel People's Liberation Army are gathered in 28 camps across the country where they will hand in their weapons. The Nepalese Army will place a similar quantity in storage. Rebel leaders revealed during peace talks last year that the PLA has about 35,000 fighters with 25,000 weapons.
The U.S. has yet to lift its designation of the rebel group as a terrorist organization. The rebels haven't proved they have shunned violence, James Moriarty, the U.S. ambassador in Kathmandu, said Dec. 31, according to Nepalnews.com.
``Kidnappings, violence and intimidation are continuing,'' Moriarty said.
Nepal's economic growth is forecast to shrink to 1.8 percent this year. A peace settlement will allow the government to cut defense spending and economic growth in 2007 may reach 5 percent, Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said in July.
The economy depends on tourism for foreign exchange. The country of 27 million people, located between China and India, is home to Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, and eight other of the world's 14 peaks higher than 8,000 meters (26,248 feet).
About 42 percent of Nepalese live below the poverty line and 80 percent of them rely on agriculture for a livelihood.
To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net Links
posted by Bimal 2.1.07,
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