CPN-UML would not have gathered people’s support if people’s democracy had not been established, nor the republic would have been possible if the Maoists had not waged a decade-long insurgency. NCP leaders Ishwor Pokharel and Ghanashyam Bhusal have been trying their level best to reestablish people’s democracy as the party line. On this political scenario, journalists including the editor of Break and Links (Europe) Laxman Devkota talked to Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali for his views. Excerpts:

How do you assess the government’s performance so far?

We have formed policies and plans so far. Now we will render efforts on the implementation part. We have sorted out various issues related to national policies. You will see the results soon.

Incidents of rape and crimes are growing. The number of bomb explosions is increasing. What do you say about it?

Such incidents are not new. These incidents used to take place in the past, too. As far as the Nirmala rape and murder case is concerned, the police failed to investigate and bring the culprit to book. It was wrong to wash and use Nimala’s trousers in the name of covering her body. It destroyed the evidence.

Has political maneuvering started for the party’s upcoming general convention?

It is a democratic process to hold interaction and discussions ideologically, isn’t it? Let’s talk about Madan-Ashrit. Has the chapter of Madan-Ashrit murder case been closed? This is a serious question. As a matter of fact, the credit for what we have become now goes to Madan-Ashrit. The communist movement would not have reached where it is today if late leader Madan Bhandari had not propounded people’s democracy, and trained the party cadres accordingly.

Why is the government reluctant to investigate the Madan-Ashrit murder case even though his own wife Bidya Devi Bhandari has been the President of Nepal twice?

We are serious about finding the real culprit. Unfortunately, we failed to keep available evidence safe. Amar Lama, an eyewitness, was murdered. Visceral report at times cannot be dependable due to some chemical reactions. A special team of the party is working to find out the murder.

Some say that Maoist cadres were involved in the murder of Amar Lama. Likewise, the then Maoist leadership may have orchestrated the murder of Madan Bhandari presuming that he would be an obstacle for Prachanda’s movement? What do you say?

These are all hypothetical. I don’t think that Prachanda was involved in the murder of Madan Bhandari.