YCL by any other name…

The formation of the Youth Force (YF) did not come as a surprise. What is surprising is that as of yet they have not retaliated with the same rigor and energy that the YCL has used on them – even after the murder (allegedly by YCL) of a Youth Force member. The formation of YF is in line with the larger changes in the party leadership of UML, with a more hardcore communist Jhala Nath Khanal replacing Madhav Kumar Nepal. Picture perfect for television crew, the program formalizing the the formation of YF gleefully announced that 300 of the people inducted in the group had defected from the YCL, including the brother of the slain Kathmandu businessman Ram Hari Shrestha.

The YF’s initial activities are praiseworthy. The event that launched them into fame was a case in point. Some government officials providing certificates of training to manpower agencies that were used to get foreign employment were giving the certificates for Rs. 70 each. They were harassing the manpower agencies for more money. One such frustrated manpower agency agent informed the YF about it. The YF told her to go with the money and that they would intervene as the bribe was being given. The script worked to perfection, except the person caught was manhandled. The YF dutifully handed him over to the police, who then dutifully released the accused since there is no provision for the police to arrest anyone on corruption charges and detain him.

What the UML should refrain from in converting into a party that is no different than the Maoists. Contrary to their expectation, I do not think that they will be able to outplay the Maoists in a game that the Maoists have perfected over ten years. Instead, known for the intellectual base at the district level, UML should fashion itself as a pro-poor thinking party. The Maoists have a long way to go before they curry favor with teachers and intellectuals at the district level, though they may have some intellectuals at the national level. As for the YF, we shall wait to see how it handles the case of one of its cadres being murdered. Then perhaps we can tell if the YF is the YCL by just another name.