Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, the former Prime Minister and current President of the Samajwadi Party, has made grave accusations against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, claiming that he is extremely power-hungry and is ready to take any measures to retain his position.
Bhattarai expressed these views during an event held in Kathmandu on Wednesday to commemorate International Workers' Day. He alleged that Dahal had been changing loyalties between the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) in pursuit of power. 'Prime Minister Dahal had been vying for power by alternating between the Congress and UML,' Bhattarai asserted.
The former prime minister revealed that he had cooperated with Dahal's Maoist Center party during the last election in an effort to start a new socialist polarization campaign by including parties and individuals involved in the Maoist movement. However, Bhattarai accused Dahal's "lust for power" as the reason this effort could not be carried forward.
"Although he had cooperated with the Maoist center in the last election to start a campaign of new socialist polarization by including the parties and individuals involved in the Maoist movement, it could not be carried forward due to Prime Minister Dahal's lust for power," Bhattarai said.
Bhattarai expressed his disappointment with Dahal's actions, saying, "There was a large group of friends who joined the Maoist movement. Those friends were also in a big dilemma. Sometimes it has followed UML, sometimes it has followed Congress. Prachandaji has kept them in constant rotation for his own selfish interests."
The ex-prime minister acknowledged that despite his lack of complete trust in Dahal, he chose to collaborate during the elections in an effort to guide those associated with the Maoist movement towards socialism. Bhattarai expressed, 'I didn't have confidence in Prachandaji. He is willing to do anything for power. When someone claims they will take a seat, they can do so anywhere. I was aware of that.'
Bhattarai also expressed his anger at Dahal's behavior before and after the election, accusing him of being "like a wet cat" before the polls but "roaring like a lion" after his victory. "After winning the election, he started roaring like a lion. And when you saw it, you started repeating the same thing again," Bhattarai said.
The scathing remarks from the former prime minister highlight the deep divisions and mistrust within the ranks of Nepal's political parties, with accusations of power-hungry motives and shifting allegiances taking center stage.
