Gagan’s crusade against coalition culture

He may be blamed for triggering the collapse of the Congress-Maoist alliance, but he needn't worry.

Gagan Thapa may have won several positions in the Nepali Congress, including general secretary, ever since the firebrand student leader made forays into party politics after the 2006 Movement. However, his most significant ideological victory came during the Mahasamiti meeting that concluded last month. He helped create a general perception that electoral alliances had done the party no good. His proposal that the Congress shouldn’t forge alliances with major competitors in the next election was passed by the plenum, a body second only to the general convention. It was not immediately known how seriously the party or its top brass took the document that was yet to be fully endorsed, but the immediate repercussions were seen in the governing Congress-Maoist alliance.