A call for change

Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s alternative as Maoist party chair will be found only when they start looking for one.

Chhabilal Dahal aka Pushpa Kamal aka Bishwas aka Prachanda has been a champion of change all his life—starting with his own name(s) to the political system. He loathes historical continuities and strives for ruptures— agragami chhalang , as he so enthusiastically pronounced in his initial days in parliamentary politics post the 2006 political changes. In fact, he chased change even as a young political leader of the Nepal Communist Party (Mashal), having changed several parties and factions before finally replacing his seniors and mentors to lead the party in 1989. But after three-and-a-half decades of being the party chief, he has no fascination for change—at least when it comes to leadership change in his party.