National Assembly Speaker Election: Maoists pressure strategy on Congress

As the Prime Minister and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal are leaders who follow a strategic path, the claim of the Speaker of the National Assembly is also understood in the same sense.

While the Congress is saying that leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula will be the Speaker of the National Assembly, this decision of the Maoists is unpleasant for the Congress. Amid controversy in the Congress, Sitaula, who was a candidate for the National Assembly from Koshi, won from the alliance. Champa Karki, who was a candidate from the alliance and was injured in the armed war, was defeated.

Sitaula is the same leader who played the role of a helper in the Maoist peace process. He is among the Congress leaders preferred by Prime Minister Dahal. But the Maoist's decision to claim the National Assembly Speaker has embarrassed Sitaula. The election of the President of the National Assembly is scheduled to be held on February 26.

Some leaders of Maoist are doubtful that the National Assembly Speaker will last till the end. Those leaders speculated that Dahal might have adopted a strategy to put pressure on Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba. However, the decision of the standing committee was unanimous. The standing committee has to sit to reverse the decision of the standing committee. It is not easy for Dahal to reverse this decision alone.

'If the claim of the Speaker of the National Assembly is to be abandoned, what position will be taken instead?' There are two options, not leaving the Speaker of the National Assembly, secondly changing the Council of Ministers by leaving the Speaker of the National Assembly. By overturning the decision of Dahal Standing Committee, the National Assembly Congress Changing the Cabinet to suit by giving the Speaker of the National Assembly. There is a lot of pressure within the Maoists that the chairmanship should not be given up.

After the Maoists claimed the presidency of the National Assembly, the leaders of the main party of the alliance, Congress, have made a three-tier analysis. First, Prime Minister Dahal to put pressure on Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba to facilitate cabinet reshuffle, secondly to extend the prime minister's tenure, thirdly, a sign of changing alliances. Maoist leaders are not ready to accept this analysis. Maoist Secretary Dinanath Sharmal said that the claim of National Assembly Speaker is not aimed at anyone.

This is a natural claim. Not to put pressure on anyone,' he said, 'All the standing committee members came to the consensus opinion that the President of the National Assembly should not leave.' "This does not mean that we should leave the alliance now," he said, "It is natural for the Maoists to remain in the alliance and take the chairmanship of the National Assembly." He said that the situation has changed by referring to the incident of betrayal by the Congress in Koshi during the National Assembly elections. After leading the government for one year and three months, he himself has realized that it is not working as expected.

He wants to replace Finance Minister Prakasharan Mahat mainly after the expected improvement in the economy. After being embarrassed by Congress President Deuba's stance, he has put forward the 'card' of the National Assembly Speaker claimed by the Congress.

It would be more beneficial if the Congress gave the Speaker of the National Assembly, otherwise, if the Congress is left, it will open the way for Dahal to manipulate cabinet members who are favorable to him. The 'card' of the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Maoists has also been effective in correcting the message that the assessment of the Maoist armed war was wrong in the political report presented at the next Congress convention. Congress has given a signal to Dahal to revise the document taking into account the objections of the Maoists.

It seems that the Maoists have increased the possibility of cooperation with the UML by claiming the National Assembly Speakership that the Congress is claiming. The Congress and the Maoists did not give up their claim for the National Assembly Speaker, but the UM has indicated that it will strategically support the Maoist candidate. As soon as the Maoists' alliance with the Congress is broken, the door of cooperation between the UML and the Maoists, who have been out of power for more than two years, will open.

UML has been waiting for that opportunity. This is also the meaning of the dialogue between Prime Minister Dahal and UML President KP Oli, which is held alone for about a month. After the news of the conversation between Oli and Dahal was published in the media, it seems that the UML and Maoist activists are heating up the social media.