Posted by Winston on October 2, 2011
Ram Bahadur Thapa, i.e. Badal, is a founding leader of the Maoist movement. During the People’s War he was chief military strategist, and his open alignment with the radical forces in the party pushing for a people’s revolt is a very big deal.
Please remember that reports, like this one, made in the daily mainstream press are often riddled with errors and false reports.
From Myrepublica
KATHMANDU, Sept 28: Maoist General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa on Sunday accused the party establishment of being “conspirators and cowards” and of deviating from the ideals of revolution.
Thapa expressed this view while speaking at a cadre orientation program at Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, held by the party hardliners.
“The cowards do their things from hiding. They signed the four-point deal and handed over the container keys secretly. But we are not cowards. We have launched our struggle openly,” a participant quoted Thapa as saying.
Thapa told the cadres that his faction would see how the party establishment presents itself in the forthcoming central committee meeting, and chart out a course accordingly.
“We will see how they present themselves. But we must if necessary give a push to break the current course,” Thapa argued. He meant that if Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam continued along the current path, the party would clearly deviate from its revolutionary path, and the opposition faction must then take initiatives to save the party.
Thapa argued that the new struggle launched by the hardliners was not meant to split the party. “But when we set such a goal, there will be a separate government and separate army,” a cadre quoted Thapa as saying.
According to the participants, Thapa stated that his faction had not yet broken relations with the party establishment and he would do his best for reconciliation.
Thapa argued that it is the party establishment — not the hardliners –who are for splitting the party by flouting the party´s official decisions.
He stated that the party establishment, by returning seized property and handing over the container keys, made a great “capitalistic leap” – not any leap for communism.
Meanwhile, cadres from the party hardline faction marched from Jawalakhel to Santibatika protesting against the statement of Defense Minister Sarat Singh Bhandari that the 22 districts of the Tarai may announce a separate state. Maoist leader Tilak Pariyar addressed the gathering at Santibatika.
Meanwhile also, the Maoists have postponed a Central Committee meeting scheduled for Sept 30, citing the upcoming Hindu festival of Dashain.
