NCP’s virtual meet with China’s party draws flak

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, JUNE 19 Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and chief of partyTraining Department Ishwar Pokharel were among
100 NCP leaders who took part in a meeting with leaders of ruling Communist Party of China via video conferencing. NCP sources said the
two parties exchanged their views on contemporary politics and their experiences, but the main opposition party Nepali Congress termed the
exercise as CPCattempt to sabotage Nepaldemocratic, republican constitution. &China does not have press freedom, freedom of expression,
periodic election
China is ruled by one party but we have all these features of democracy
We respect Chinaconstitution and we expect them to respect our constitution as well,& Chief Whip of Nepali Congress Bal Krishna Khand said
He added that the ruling NCP was trying to sabotage democracy in Nepal by aligning with the CPC
CPC leaders had interacted with Madhav Kumar Nepal and some other NCP leaders also a few days ago. CPCcloseness with NCP worries not only
political parties of Nepal but also political scientists and analysts
Political scientists said NCP leaders were trying to tilt towards China, but that could boomerang on them. &There is a fundamental
difference between NCP and CPC. NCP rose to power thru democratic means whereas CPC follows one-party rule,& Baral said. Political analyst
Uddhab Pyakurel said NCP leaders& love for CPC and Xi Jinping Thought was evidence that they were not committed to democracy and democratic
socialism
&Liberal capitalism gives people chance to criticise the government, but state capitalism that China is practising has no space for
criticism,& he added. &Close interaction between leaders of NCP and CPC does not sound natural because of the differences that exist between
the two countries
CPC follows different economic model
It does not enforce inclusion but unlike CPC, NCP follows inclusion within the party statute,& Pyakurel said and added that NCP leaders&
praise of Chinaanti-corruption measures were indications that CPC had been indoctrinating NCP leaders. Another political analyst Puranjan
Acharya said CPCattempt to look for a political force in Nepal who could listen to them and NCPdesire to find a reliable supporter in the
international arena had brought the two parties closer in recent years
He said NCPproximity to CPC had started to show new geopolitical consequences
According to Acharya, it is because of NCPcloseness with CPC that NCP had chosen to maintain distance from India and some western
powers. Nepali Congress leaders Bal Krishna Khand, Udaya Shumsher Rana and Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader Kamal Thapa also condemned the
interaction between the two parties. &Bilateral relations between two nations are primarily conducted by two governments. However, in the
case of Nepal and China two ruling communist parties seem to be dictating the governments
Clubbing party and government policies is unprecedented and dangerous,& Rana tweeted. Thapa termed it as a colonial exercise
&What will be the state of Nepal if other political parties also start taking economic assistance from like-minded foreign parties and let
them train their cadres?& he wondered. Two hundred NCP leaders and cadres had also listened to lectures from key CPC leaders for two days on
Jinping Thought in September. A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 20, 2020, of The Himalayan Times. The post NCPvirtual
meet with Chinaparty draws flak appeared first on The Himalayan Times.