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The main opposition Nepali Congress is forging a working alliance with like-minded parties in the parliament in order to strengthen the opposition voice. For the purpose, it has expedited talks with the Rastriya Janata Party. The Congress is also preparing for its 14^th General Convention to elect new leaders and the Central Working Committee meeting has been called for the same purpose. Biswas Baral and Kamal Dev Bhattarai talked to the NC Central Working Committee (CWC) member Shekhar Koirala about the proposed working alliance and about internal party dynamics. Koirala has already started a nation-wide campaign to fight for party presidency (even though he does not admit this openly). Between the three members of the Koirala family, Shekhar, General Secretary Shashank Koirala, and Sujata Koirala, there is an understanding to settle on one name for party president.

There has been a lot of talk about a possible working alliance between the Nepali Congress and Madhes-based parties. What is the progress?

Yes, there has been a talk of formation of some kind of an alliance in the parliament. There have been no party-to-party level talks about forging a working alliance between the Congress and the Madhes-based parties though. The two-third majority government is imposing objectionable draft laws and other agendas by ignoring the opposition and other forces. Hence the NC and the Rastriya Janata Party (RJP) are coming together on issues like the murder of Kumar Poudel, the Sarlahi in-charge of Netra Bikram Chand-led Maoist party.

The Congress is reported to have a soft corner on the constitution amendment issue of Madhes-based parties. Can the two parties stand together on this?

Now, we have not talked in that way. The proposed alliance could create a climate for us to support their demand of constitution amendment. But there is no clarity on the contents of the amendment. Constitution amendment is a sensitive issue, and we should not be discussing about it casually.

It seems the Madhes-based parties are set to make constitution amendment a major demand. What will be the Congress position?

That is what I am talking about. There should be clarity. Upendra Yadav has been talking about leaving the government (laughs) for over a year. I am still unclear about his position. Now the media says he is quitting the government. I doubt he will. In the context of constitution amendment, we will explore the converging issues of the NC, the RJP and the Upendra Yadav-led party. The Yadav-led party has proposed an 11-state provincial model. If we evaluate the politics of past one year, operation of provincial structures has been difficult.

We need provincial governments no doubt. But the question is whether we can sustain 11 provinces and there are also questions about ethnic federalism. The NC and the Madhes-based parties need to sit together and talk. Constitution amendment can move ahead if we can address the aspirations of all sections of the people, whether they live in the mountains, hills or Tarai plains. The current government is not ready to amend the constitution. Even Madhes-based parties have failed to come up with a clear position on it.

What is the Congress bottom-line on it?

We have not prepared any bottom-line yet. If they come with demands, we will sit together, put forth our individual positions, give suggestions, and make our position known.

There is dissatisfaction over the performance of opposition parties in parliament when it comes to opposing the undemocratic government moves. Is there a possibility of all opposition parties coming together on the same platform?

Yes, opposition parties should jointly exert pressure on the government to mend its ways. I am fully confident that the RJP and the Samajbadi Party led by Upendra Yadav would not accept such undemocratic bills. There are certain ideological differences between the NC and Samajbadi Party, and the NC and the RJP. Upendra Yadav and Baburam Bhattarai are talking about presidential system; the RJP is in favor of parliamentary system. On this issue we say ‘No’ but on other issues such as language of the constitution, we should be flexible. The NC and the RJP are coming together on democratic bills; the position of the Samajbadi Party is not clear.

With the Congress mired in disputes, how can it play the role of an effective opposition?

The internal dynamics of the NC and its role in parliament are two different things. The NC role in Parliament is positive as it is trying to prevent some undemocratic bills tabled in parliament from being passed. But it is difficult to say how much the party can do in parliament. We who are outside the parliament should engage people through various programs at district and village levels.

But this can only be done with greater party unity. As it is, the NC is a divided house.  

Some issues regarding internal dynamics are yet to be resolved. The current Central Working Committee will complete its four years next year. The party statute provisions for the extension of its tenure by a year in case of emergencies. But there is no emergency right now. It will take some time but we will surely hold our general convention soon. We are yet to transform our organizational structure in line with the federal setup. We are living with an outdated organizational structure and we should work on war-footing to hold a general convention as soon as possible. The NC will be weak if we do not change our working style and continue with the status quo. The general convention will give energy to the party and benefit it as well.

Would it be right to say that Party President Sher Bahadur Deuba seems to be in no hurry to hold the general convention on time?

There should be a sense of urgency if he wants to save the NC and the country. Things will not progress if there is rift in the party. Now we lack a towering personality like late Girija Prasad Koirala. There was conflict inside the party about bringing the Maoists into peaceful politics but he still managed to take the party ahead together.  

The Congress seems to be going through a leadership crisis. Does the party need new leaders?

People search for new leadership during times of crisis. There is leadership crisis in the Congress right now and the general convention is the only way to elect new leadership. We should follow democratic process. Election results are a strong hint of the capability of party leadership. Recently, there was an election in neighboring India. The Indian National Congress was defeated, its President Rahul Gandhi resigned and the party is looking for a new leadership. The current Nepali Congress leadership cannot lead a 21^st-century polity. Twitter is banned in China but the Chinese Ambassador in Kathmandu is still active in it. Our leadership has failed to move with the change.  

Who do you see as the future president of Nepali Congress?

There are many capable leaders in the NC to lead the party. There is the young generation. But who will win is still uncertain. I am not speaking about individual leaders but the current leadership cannot steer modern-day politics. We should promote the younger ones. For one tenure, the current generation will take the key leadership positions. After the 14^th General Convention, the current generation will lead the party by accommodating youths as office-bearers. But after that I expect party leadership to go to the new generation. The older generation is still useful and we can accommodate them. Now, the major problem is factionalism. If you are not close to this or that leader, you will never get a chance. I want to pick genuine and capable leaders, irrespective of their factions.

Is Koirala family again keen to take over party leadership?

Some people blame us of indulging in dynastic politics. We have not done dynastic politics. At least I do not believe in it. But people say so and I do not have answers for that. If you believe in dynastic politics, why am I going around and visiting all the rural areas? Girija Prasad Koirala and our guardians have taught us some cultures and values. We cannot deviate from those.

Let’s be specific. Are you going to fight for NC presidency?

(A long laugh.) How can I say that right now?

But you are making preparations?

My age and recent canvassing around the country give me energy. Age will not always be on my side. But right now I think I am near the peak of my political career.  

Who will be the common presidential candidate of the Koirala family, you or General Secretary Shashank?

Other leaders are also capable. But I feel a pain when my seniors say Shekhar is junior in the party. I accept that I am junior. But what is the status of the party now being led by seniors? I respect them. But the logic that juniors cannot fight for presidency is unacceptable. See the example of neighboring India. I do not believe in dynastic politics and I also do not believe in junior/senior logic.

Is it true that you are fighting for President and Gagan Thapa for General Secretary on a common ticket?

We are talking to each other. We are also talking to others. As seniors do not want to go with me, I am approaching young ones. I listen to the aspirations of young leaders. In politics, young leaders are my friends and we are not mentally divided between seniors and juniors. My responsibility is to bring the youth in party leadership position and get the party back on track. I entertain all energetic and capable leaders. Now, our fight is with communist forces and without the youth in power we cannot fight them.

The integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants were major parts of Nepal’s peace process that started in 2006. Of around 19,000 Maoist combatants eligible for integration, around 1,300 were integrated into the Nepal Army. But many child soldiers who went through the verification process were disqualified for integration and for rehabilitation packages.
In January 2010, 3,000 young ex-combatants who were under 18 at the time of the ceasefire were let go as minors. They were assured of formal schooling, vocational training, and help with setting up small businesses. Lenin Bista, a child solider who had joined the Maoist insurgency at the age of 12, was among those disqualified because of his age. In the past few years he has been fighting for justice for minor Maoist soldiers and other disqualified personnel.
He has sought to internationalize the issue of the use of child soldiers in Nepal, a war crime. He currently serves as the President of Peace Envisioners, an NGO. Bista talked to Biswas Baral and Kamal Dev Bhattarai about his campaign.

In 2010 the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government had decid­ed to discharge minor soldiers in the Maoist ranks with some kind of compensation. What did you get?

At that time, the state had assured us jobs and education. There was a tripartite agreement between the government, the Maoist party and the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) on our issues. But they did nothing for us. They made commit­ments but did not keep them. We were discharged with no more than Rs 10,000 in cash.

You mean there was no follow-up from the state after you were discharged?

Yes, there was no follow-up. We waited for six or seven months before we organized ourselves and formally made our demands. First, we urged the Maoist leaders to settle our issues. Later, we tried to draw the government’s attention by sub­mitting a Memorandum of Under­standing, but again to no avail.

How many of you were disqual­ified as minor soldiers in the UNMIN verification process?

Around 4,000 were discharged after being labelled ‘disqualified’. Of them, 2,973 were child soldiers and the remaining were late recruits. There were also more than 10,000 minors who had served as child soldiers during the insurgency but were not part of the verification process. Many child soldiers were killed. The first Maoist cadre killed by the police was Dil Bahadur Ram­tel, who was 12 when he was shot dead. After their discharge from the cantonments, eight of our friends committed suicide as they faced social humiliation due to the ‘dis­qualified’ tag.

Similarly, there were no jobs, and there was the question of live­lihood. Many of our friends, fearing humiliation and harassment, did not return to their original homes and stayed in other places to hide their identity.

We had joined the Maoist move­ment to change the society but we ended up being tagged ‘disquali­fied’. It was not easy to adjust in the society. Around 25 percent of child soldiers went to Gulf countries and India in search of jobs. Around 15-20 percent have joined the Biplav-led Maoist party believing that the objec­tives of Maoist movement remain unfulfilled.

But child soldiers were offered either continuation of educa­tion or vocational training. Why didn’t you take them?

That was not the case. I am a witness. After the peace process began, I completed my Plus Two studies from inside the canton­ment. In a meeting at the UN, I expressed my desire to pursue a Bachelor’s degree. They said they could not help me with that. No one was given such an option. We had been told we would be part of the national army. With that mind­set, we could not accept training to become mechanics and cooks. Such trainings were a humiliation. We had been told that verification was just a show for foreigners and we would all be integrated into the national army.

Now you are raising the issue of child soldiers in international forums. What are your demands?

The first thing is responsibility for and justification of the Mao­ist war. Another is accountability. Many people were killed and several child soldiers were used but who is accountable for that? We also want a guarantee that child soldiers will never be used in Nepal again. We should also get some kind of a package that’s enough to support our lives.

Some in the government say international organizations are using you to wreck the peace process.

It is the responsibility of state agencies to find out who is using us. I would welcome such an inves­tigation.

You threaten to register cases against former Maoist leaders in international courts. On what basis?

First we should be clear that the issue of child soliders relates to war crimes. In this case, international law can be invoked because Nepal is a signatory to several international treaties and conventions. We want­ed to resolve these issues through national mechanisms but they closed all doors for us. At the same time, the issue of human rights does not have borders. No one can pre­vent us from filing cases in interna­tional courts. If we settle this issue, we can set an example for the rest of the world.

You have been making many for­eign trips of late. Why?

My purpose is to raise the issue of child soldiers. The Nepali state and political parties wanted to wipe out the history of the use of child soldiers, which amounts to erasing our contributions. So I informed the International Criminal Court, the European Union, the German Parliament and other several organi­zations of the same. Now, the world knows the issue of child soldiers is alive in Nepal.

What did you learn on those trips?

Some in Nepal are saying that the cases of rights violations during the war cannot be taken to interna­tional courts. But that is not true. Even the cases of Iraq and Myanmar have reached international courts. First, the UN Security Council can take such cases to the ICC. Second, some state party can take such cas­es to international courts. Third, the victims themselves can register such cases. This last option has been concealed in Nepal. But we want to settle the case within the country, and we child soldiers want high-level security trainings.

What type of high-level training do you want?

We could opt for various trainings such as fire-control, industrial secu­rity, forest security and hydropower security. Our friends have knowl­edge and expertise in these fields. We cannot be taxi drivers and bar­bers. We need training in keeping with our abilities.

Have you given the Nepali gov­ernment a deadline to fulfil your demands?

We have given it three months to meet our demands. The Acts relat­ing to the Truth and Reconcilia­tion Commission and the Commis­sion of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons should be amended to incorporate the provi­sion of child soldiers. We want to settle the issue domestically. There should be a political consensus on it. If they are reluctant, we will reg­ister our case in the International Criminal Court.

What kind of resistance are you facing?

It is all about political will. They do not want to resolve this issue.

Why didn’t you lodge your com­plaints with the TRC?

We have objected to the TRC pro­cess right from the start. The Act does not address the issue of child soldiers. We submitted a memoran­dum but our voices were not heard. On the other hand, appointments to the TRC were based on political consensus. The commissioners can­not act against political leaders who appoint them.

1. What is the most important skill for you as an actor?

 Acting

2. Do you prefer theater or film?

I like film more because I have studied movie acting and I started my career in films as well.

3. Who would be your dream crew?

I really wanted to work with two people, Saugat Malla and Daya Hang Rai, and I am fortunate to have been able to work with them. In the future, I would love to work with Namrata Shrestha.

4. What has been your best/worst date? 

If I like someone, I don’t think place or activity matters much. But the perfect date for me would be in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

5. How would someone get your special attention? 

I do not like people who stalk me or give me too much attention. If someone gives me too much space though then I would be more curious and interested in that person.

6. What role do you like to play in movies?

For now, I would love to do a negative role.

7. How does it feel when you put a mask on your actual personality?

I was born to do this. I learnt acting to do this. This is where my passion lies.

8. Your most prized possession?

My Nissan car that I bought!

9. If you could have coffee with one celebrity, who would you have it with?

With Namrata Shrestha. I have met her multiple times and she is my friend. I find her very beautiful.

Q. How would you describe yourself in three words?

A. Emotional, observant, and a good listener.

Q. A Nepali actor you want to work opposite to?

A. Anmol KC.

Q. Who inspires you the most?

A. My mother.

Q. What is that one thing you enjoy the most about your profession?

A. Traveling.

Q. What is your superpower?

A. My family’s support.

Q. Your favorite getaway?

A. Greece.

Q. If you had only one day to live, what would you do?

A. Spend the whole day with my family.

Q. If you could wish for anything, what would it be?

A. To be able to read people’s minds.

Q. Which is the project you are proudest to be a part of so far?

A. Pashupati Prasad.

Q. If you were not in the entertainment industry, which industry would you be in?

A. Banking.