Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) central leader Yogesh Bhattarai on Sunday accused Nepal’s “Maoist terrorists” of having assassinated his then party General Secretary Madan Bhandari in 1994 (Maoists had emerged in 1994 and initiated People’s War in 1996).
Speaking in a rally organized to protest against Maoists in Kathmandu, Bhattarai said, “Maoists are terrorists, and there will be no peace in Nepal unless we eliminate them.”
The UML then party General Secretary Madan Bhandari was killed in a mysterious jeep accident in 1994.
A party probe committee headed by senior leader K P Oli had said in his probe report that it was not an accident but a murder. Although his report did not specify who murdered the leader, he had demanded further investigation and necessary actions to punish the criminal.
About 200 UML activists and supporters had participated in the rally. When UML leader Yogesh Bhattarai accused the Maoists of having murdered his then party General Secretary in 1994, all of the participants of the rally spontaneously left the venue feeling extremely embarrassed at the horribly degraded political morality of the speaker.
When the venue was empty within five minutes of the start of the corner speech, the organizers, bowing their heads, packed mikes and banners and silently left the venue.
When this reporter asked some of the participants why they suddenly left the venue, they said that their leader spoke something that would help to further degenerate the already weakened party. They said that K P Oli was the chief intra-party agent assigned to murder Madan Bhandari.
One Asbin Dhungel of Ramechhap told this reporter that he was sure that K P Oli tried to murder Ishwor Pokhrel, current party General Secretary, in Ramechhap. It was the activists of KP Oli who dropped a big stone down the hill with an attempt to kill UML current General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel.
Another man, around 40, said that Oli has already promised to project Nepal back into civil war.
Three days ago, Oli had publicly instructed his fighting squad the Youth Force to attack Maoists all over Nepal.
Although K P Oli of the UML is considered one of the most powerful leaders and crafty speakers in Nepal, the Nepalis heavily defeated him in the 10-April Constituent Assembly in 2008 from his home district Jhapa accusing him of working as an agent of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the Indian international intelligence wing.
Oli has not been able to refute the accusation of “being a traitor,” a title the people gave him after he played the chief role in getting the Mahakali Treaty signed with India in 1998. The Treaty is believed to have facilitated Indian SSB force to move ahead by encroaching Nepal’s territories.
Out of about 200 rally participants, most of them just left the venue criticizing speaking leader, who frequently used the word "Maoist terrorists". They commented that their own party has signed the Comprehensive Peace Treaty in November 2006 with Maoists. "Why do they use this objectionable phrase while the peace process has reached this stage during three years,?" they question.