Violence is here

Like I had said in an earlier post: the "peaceful" but forced closure of the city was not a sustainable proposition. There have been numerous counter-protests, with no specific [apparent] leadership, and no other articulated demand than to be able to resume basic commerce. People want to work, earn, and buy basic necessities.

The Maoists are very hypocritical: whenever large number of Maoist cadres need to be transported from one point in the city to another, they have been using trucks. However, when they found a water tanker on the streets, they vandalized it, beat up the driver. Irony is, they have contracted most of the water tankers in the city to carry drinking water for their cadres. They had declared from the podium, on May 1, that water tankers would be allowed to operate.

In Birgunj, the counter-protest has taken a religious tint, but it is really thinly veiled ethnic fissure: Hindubadis are fighting Maobadis. I refuse to believe it is about the religion. It is about Hills versus Plains, and it is about Higher-caste Hindus versus Lower-caste Hindus. It is a spillover from across the border.

The farther you go from Kathmandu, the more pronouncedly political are the clashes: In Humla, Nepalgunj, Parbat, the strife is between Maoists and one other party, either UML or NC.

In the streets of Kathmandu, they are between YCL members from outside the city, and city-dwellers. The problem is, once the lathi-wielding YCLs leave, local YCLs will have to live in the neighborhoods where they are forcibly closing shops, and in some cases, injuring locals to the point of putting them in hospital.

Prachanda met with the Indian ambassador, a shady character named Rakesh Sood.

Maoist leaders have been openly enjoying going around town in cars, while nobody else is allowed the privilege. If these hypocrites are ever to be trusted to hold the interest of the people in their hearts, the people are deserving morons.

I hope tomorrow's protest at Basantapur will be uneventful. Most likely, it will be. I just hope there will be people in good numbers there tomorrow.