what we mean by ‘revolution’. What is a revolution?
We think that revolution happens when the exploited
and oppressed class overthrows the exploiter and
oppressor class in power. That has not happened in
Nepal. The comprador bourgeoisie and the feudal
classes that ruled Nepal before are still in power.
That’s why the revolution is far from complete in Nepal.
[RS] Could you elaborate on some of the
objective indicators that you use to assess the
current socio-economic and political conditions
of Nepal as semi-feudal, semi-colonial and
sometimes neo-colonial? Can you provide some
concrete examples? I am interested in
understanding this more because many on the
Left and other scholars think that the conditions
in Nepal have changed substantially with the
advent of democracy, federalism and capitalist
development.
[Kiran] Look, unlike India, Nepal was never directly
a part of the British Empire. Therefore, technically it
was not a ‘colony’ of any foreign power. But that does
not mean that Nepal was immune to prolonged
exploitation by foreign imperialist powers. Over time
the nature of oppression, by external powers or by
Nepali feudal classes, has no doubt evolved. However,
through these superficial changes, the subjugation
of Nepali people, either by colonial powers or by the
feudal classes, continues uninterrupted even today.
For example, you may have heard of the Sugauli
Treaty that Nepal signed with the British East-India
Company way back in 1816. Nepal had to concede a
part of its territory to the British and even allow the
British army to recruit the Gurkhas for military service.
What did Nepal get out of it? Nothing of substance.
That was open colonial exploitation.
Later on, in the 1950s, for example, Nepal signed
a Treaty of Peace and Friendship with India. In this
and several other treaties signed between Nepal and
India in subsequent years, you can see how the Indian
state established its hegemonic control over the
natural resources of Nepal. We are talking about the
ruling classes in India. I have nothing against the
ordinary people of India, who are also exploited by
their political masters. But that is a different matter
altogether.
The most significant natural resource of Nepal is
its water resources. Nepal signed the Koshi treaty,
Gandak treaty, Mahakali treaty which allowed the
Indian state to control our natural resources. Later
on there was a treaty on Upper-Karnali and Arun III.
So the Indian state literally controls our hydropower.
But the ordinary people in Nepal hardly see it. It’s
carefully hidden. This is neocolonial exploitation of
Nepal.
October - 2018
Now let’s look at some more examples. Take the field
of trade and transportation. Nepal is a landlocked
country. For trade, vital routes of transportation are
via India. Recently a treaty was signed on this issue
with China, but it’s not yet been implemented. Thus
India unilaterally controls Nepal’s trade and does not
provide any concession on transportation services in
return. Further, the trade deficit between Nepal and
India is beyond measure. Currently, the trade deficit
with India is around 800 billion Nepali rupees (about
USD 70 billion). To reduce the trade deficit, we must
have export-oriented industries. However, domestic
production of export goods is meager, whereas import
is very high. The Nepali government does nothing to
correct this trade imbalance with India. They do not
provide any subsidy or initiation fund to farmers or
factories to increase domestic production. You would
be surprised to know that in the hilly regions of Nepal
fertile cultivable land remains unused. The state does
not provide our youth with any help or encouragements
to cultivate these lands. The youth are then forced to
immigrate to foreign countries, like Malaysia or to the
Gulf or even India, for livelihood. There is no
opportunity for harnessing the rich human capital and
the natural resources of Nepal. This is what I call is
the neocolonial exploitation of the Nepal.
The ruling classes of Nepal are comprador
capitalists, who do not remedy this situation. They only
try to appease New Delhi (Indian State) to remain in
power. The Indian state micro-manages everything in
Nepal, including bureaucratic appointments. It even
encroaches on Nepali territory. There are more than
60 places along Nepal-India border, where the pillars
demarcating borders have disappeared. For example,
India has encroached on Nepali land in the Lipulekh
tripoint pass of Nepal, in Darchula district of far-
western Nepal. In 2015, China and India bilaterally
agreed to set up a trading post in Lipulekh, completely
ignoring Nepal’s interest. Our party did protest, but
our ruling elites did not even object to this, as they
genuflect to the Indian state. That is how neo-
colonialism works.
[RS] You mentioned that protracted armed
struggle – another people’s war – is the only way
to accomplish your goal of new democratic
revolution in Nepal. I have spoken to others in
Nepal who disagree. Could you please elaborate
why you think armed struggle is the only way?
[Kiran] I mentioned earlier that a revolution
requires that the oppressed and exploited overthrow
their oppressors and seize power. My former comrades
like Prachandaji, Baburamji (Bhattarai), Ghanshyam
Bhusal and Ram Karki all claim that capitalist
revolution has been accomplished. I disagree. First,
a successful capitalist revolution must lead to the
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