Nepal in crisis, Army chief sacked, CPN(UML) withdraws support

Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, May 3 (PTI) Nepal plunged into turmoil with
the Maoist-led Government and the Military locked in a major
confrontation after Prime Minister Prachanda sacked Army Chief
Gen Rukmanga Katawal Sunday for allegedly defying government
orders but the General refused to step down.

CPN(UML), a key ruling coalition partner, also decided
to withdraw its support to the government in an immediate
political fallout of Prachanda's action which triggered
protests from most political parties in the ruling coalition.

President Dr Ram Baran Yadav also refused to accept
Prachanda's decision instead asking him to follow
constitutional provisions and seek consensus of other
political parties before taking a decision on the 61-year-old
Army Chief.

It was unclear, however, if the prime minister has the
power to unilaterally fire the military chief which came
despite domestic and international calls against such a move,
including from India who favoured a rapprochement.

"The Army Chief was removed because he failed to give
satisfactory explanation on why the government orders were
ignored," Information Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara told
reporters shortly after the decision was taken at a special
cabinet meeting chaired by Prachanda and boycotted by four key
constituents of the coalition government.

Lt Gen Kul Bahadur Khadka, the number two in the army and
a confidant of Prachanda, was immediately named as acting army
chief to replace Gen Katawal, who was to retire after three
months. Gen Katawal, however, declined to step down, according
to media reports.

Katwal has called an emergency meeting of top Generals at
the Army Headquarters, private radio Nepal FM reported.

President Yadav in a letter to Prachanda asked him to
forge a consensus among political parties while taking a
decision regarding the unilateral sacking of army chief,
according to the President press advisor Rajendra Dahal. The
President is the Supreme Commander of the Army.

In effect the ball is now in the court of President
Yadav, who as the head of state, has the final authority to
remove the army chief. Yadav also reminded the Prime Minister
that the decision made by the government, which is in a
minority cannot be implemented.

The main opposition party Nepali Congress rejected the
sacking of the Army Chief and asked the Government not to
implement the decision. It also warned of street protests.

In a significant development, the CPN-UML's Standing
Committee meeting decided to withdraw support to the
government and called back all its members from the cabinet
headed by Prachanda, according to the party office sources.

The decision to pull out from the government by the
CPN-UML, whose support is crucial for the Maoist government’s
survival, has deepened the political crisis with the survival
of the coalition in doubt. The UML, with 207 members in the
601 member Constituent Assembly, is the third largest party.

The Maoists' move came a fortnight after they served an
ultimatum to Gen Katawal, seeking his clarification on
recruitments by military, its "hastiness" in reinstating
eight generals retired by the government and its decision not
to participate in the National Games.

He had furnished his reply contending that he had not
disobeyed the government's directives on removing eight
generals and halting recruitment in the military.
Following the Government's decision to fire him, a
defiant Gen Katawal rejected it saying the Prime Minister had
no authority to remove him, according to a private radio.
PTI