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Lessons for Maoists from their counterparts in Nepal

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: There are lessons for Indian Maoists and elite in the way Nepali Maoists and other mainstream parties showed maturity and statesmanship in the transition of Nepal from monarchy to a Republic, said SiddharthVaradarajan, a senior journalist, The Hindu here on Saturday.

Participating in a panel discussion organised by Alam Khundmiri Foundation and Department of Political Science, Osmania University on ‘Expanding Democratic Frontiers: Burma, Nepal and Pakistan’, he said “even in the Indian context, neither Maoists can be crushed by the State nor are Maoists capable of overthrowing Governments. A process of rethinking is necessary on both sides,” he said tracing developments in Nepal.

Mr. Siddharth said that though they believed in armed struggle, Nepali Maoists had contributed for strengthening the parliamentary process even while demanding emergence of Nepal as a republic.By the end of 2002, they recognised the need to rethink their strategy beyond armed struggle and began internal discussion towards making far reaching adjustments with the goal of taking part in multi-party Government. Aniket Alam of Panos, an NGO, felt though a democratically elected Government was back in power in Pakistan known for its decades of military dictatorship, democracy could be difficult to sustain unless the ruling class let go of its hold on land and other economic assets.

Mr. Satya Sivaraman, a senior journalist also spoke. C. Ram Manohar Reddy, Editor, Economics and Political Weekly, presided and K. Srinivasulu, Head, Department of Political Science, spoke.

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