KATHMANDU: Last Sunday, Janardan Sharma ‘Prabhakar’ announced that his relationship with the then-CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ had ended. After Prachanda decided to merge the Maoist Centre into a unity among left factions, Prabhakar ended his 42-year relationship with him, stating, ‘We might meet at some junction.’

Three days later, on Wednesday, 10 left factions united. Prachanda, the chairman of the pre-unity Maoist Centre, became the coordinator, and Madhav Kumar Nepal, the chairman of CPN (Unified Socialist), became the co-coordinator of the new party named ‘Nepali Communist Party.’

Following Prachanda’s decision to unify the party, Prabhakar, who had served in various important roles in the then-CPN (Maoist Centre) since the conflict period, took his own separate decision. He also announced a separate group called ‘Progressive Campaign Nepal’ (Pragatishil Abhiyan Nepal).

Prabhakar is considered an influential leader within the Maoist Centre in Karnali. However, for the time being, he has become isolated in Karnali.

No other leader in Karnali who could have generated influence within the party supported his latest opposition to Prachanda. Even Maoist leaders from his own home district, who were considered his trusted associates, supported Prachanda’s decision. In Karnali, known as the fertile ground and stronghold of the Maoists, Prabhakar is only supported by a few then-alternate central committee members and their cadres.

Gopal Sharma, a central party member from Rukum Paschim who worked as Prabhakar’s personal secretary when the latter was Home Minister, was anticipated by some close to Prabhakar to side with him. The same Sharma stood with Prachanda, saying, ‘Politics is about choosing one’s own independent path.’

Previously, Sharma, while close to Prabhakar, had represented the province in the provincial parliament. He also served as the provincial Finance Minister. He was also one of the leaders who worked the hardest during Prabhakar’s election campaign.

Janardan Sharma. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

Sharma said that although he consistently supported Prabhakar on past internal issues, he could not support Prabhakar’s latest decision. “He may have taken this decision after careful consideration; he is independent in making decisions,” Sharma says, “We could not agree with his views, and we also have the freedom to think in our own way.”

He stated that despite their long relationship with Prabhakar, they had to leave his side recently. Referring to Prabhakar, he said, “Division weakens the party, and it also weakens the individual.”

Bimala KC, from Prabhakar’s home district, also stood with Prachanda. She is the then-Karnali Provincial President of the Maoist Centre. Before that, she had represented the provincial parliament and government while close to Prabhakar. In 2013, she was a Constituent Assembly member.

On Tuesday, she wrote a status on Facebook and even called for Prabhakar to return to the mainstream. Through that same status, she commented that the hopes and trust of martyr families were being betrayed by leaders who could not stick to the party’s mainstream until the end.

“People from his own district joined the party and became martyrs, or were injured. It was because of him that people joined the party and were ready to make sacrifices,” KC told Nepal News, “After his recent decision, victim families call us to express their grief.” She claims that Prabhakar has been isolated by his own supporters in Karnali following his decision.

KC further added, “He has already become isolated in Karnali; now there might be very few who support him in Karnali.”

Among the Karnali leaders considered Prabhakar’s trusted associates, many are from Rukum Paschim. Govinda Roka is one of them. Roka received political appointments as the General Manager of Nepal Television and Public Relations Advisor to the Ministry of Finance upon the party’s recommendation. He was most recently the Rukum Paschim District Coordinator from the then-Maoist Centre.

Roka’s wife, Milan Khadka, is a Member of the Karnali Provincial Assembly. The same Roka also could not stand with Prabhakar this time.

As of today, the journey to build Nepali-featured scientific socialism under the leadership of the Nepali Communist Party has formally moved forward.

I appeal to join this historic great campaign with the shining star election symbol established as the international symbol of revolutionary communists,” Roka stated via a Facebook status after the left faction unity announcement on Wednesday.

Other leaders who previously did not fully support Prabhakar but held influence in the party in Karnali at his level include Kali Bahadur Malla, Maya Prasad Sharma, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, and Shakti Basnet. Currently, none of them support Prabhakar’s decision. All of them have stood on Prachanda’s side.

Maoist leaders who were previously allied with Janardan Sharma (Prabhakar), but later chose to back Prachanda: Bimala KC, Mahendra KC, Govinda Roka, and Gopal Sharma

Even before this, Prabhakar was isolated among these Karnali leaders during internal ideological differences within the party. At the center, Prachanda and Prabhakar were seen in different camps. In Karnali, however, Shakti Basnet led the Prachanda group. Within the province, the situation was seen as the Shakti-Prabhakar factional fight. Apart from that, Malla, Sharma, and Shahi had been standing with Prachanda since earlier times.

One alternate central party member from Prabhakar’s home district, who was said to be on his side, stated that he does not want to speak openly immediately. The alternate central party member said that he does not see the justification for either the current unity or Prabhakar’s new campaign. He stated that he did not take a stand after meeting and listening to both Prachanda and Prabhakar on Wednesday morning. However, he internally embraced the current unity in terms of process, he added.

“There is no immediate plan for Prabhakar to form a party right away and move forward; he has expressed the view that the new generation should be included,” he said, “The unity that has happened here does not seem likely to yield such a grand result immediately, which is why I have not officially committed anywhere. I have not strongly opposed anyone either.”

Another leader close to Prabhakar from Rukum Paschim, former central committee member Mahendra KC, has also stood on Prachanda’s side. He is currently a member of the Karnali Provincial Assembly. Previously, he was not the Finance Minister of Karnali. After the party unity, he also wrote a status urging Prabhakar to ‘stand on Prachanda’s side and consider the unified Nepali Communist Party as an opportunity.’

Prabhakar, who became a member of the Communist Party in around 1976, became a member of the Rukum District Committee of the Nepal Communist Party (Masal) in around the year 1981. Some ten years later, he became its Acting Secretary.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Photo Nepal Photo Library

Having become the Secretary of Dang district in around 1993, he participated in the armed conflict launched by the Maoists in 1996. He became a member of the Central Committee of the then-CPN (Maoist) four years later and a Politburo member a year after that. Prabhakar, who entered a military role from 2000, rose to become the Commissar of the People’s Liberation Army, serving as the Seti-Mahakali Regional Bureau In-charge. He became a Division Commander in 2003 and a Deputy Commander next year.

He became a Maoist Standing Committee member in around 2013 and the Organization Department Chief of the Maoist Centre in 2021. While in the Maoist party, he participated in the government as Minister of Home, Finance, Energy, and Peace and Reconstruction. He also served as a minister without portfolio once.

Prachanda, the Chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), assigned him the responsibility of Deputy General Secretary in 2022. However, he rejected that responsibility. Before that, he was a claimant for the position of General Secretary. Prachanda had appointed Dev Gurung as the General Secretary.