NEPAL: MAOISTS RELEASE LIST OF MEMBERS OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KATHMANDU 000079 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PINR NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: MAOISTS RELEASE LIST OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT REF: A. KATHMANDU 42 ¶B. KATHMANDU 22 Classified By: CDA Nicholas J. Dean. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On January 11, the Maoists released a list of 73 individuals who will represent them in the interim parliament to be formed on January 15 (ref A). The list includes people from different castes and ethnic groups, women, the disabled, and dalits. Although the list is strikingly inclusive, the senior leadership of the party, which chose not to enter the interim parliament and is not very diverse itself, will likely call the shots. It is possible that Maoist inclusiveness could shame the other parties into making their candidate lists for the upcoming Constituent Assembly election more inclusive. Biographic information on some of the prospective MPs appears below. Maoists Release "Inclusive" List of MPs -------------- ¶2. (C) On January 11, the Maoists released the names of the individuals who would represent the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist in the interim parliament. Out of the 73 seats allotted to the Maoists, nine are from the Maoist Central Committee, 24 are members of ethnic minority communities or "Janajati", 11 are Dalits ("untouchables"),19 are Madhesis (people from the Terai, on Nepal's border with India),17 are from the families of the "martyrs" from the April 2006 People's Movement, and one is disabled (in a wheelchair). The remaining ten seats allotted to the Maoists for inclusion of civil society and intelligentsia will likely be announced in the next few days. The Maoists have allocated forty percent of the seats (29) to women. Strikingly Inclusive, But Does It Matter? -------------- ¶3. (C) The list of Maoist MPs in the interim parliament is consistent with the principles of inclusiveness the Maoists have proclaimed in their propaganda. In spite of inclusiveness in the Maoist list, it is likely that the policies and decisions will continue to be made at the top level by the high-caste Bauns who dominate the party leadership, including Maoist Supremo Prachanda. The five top leaders in the Maoist hierarchy chose not to join the interim parliament. List of Candidates -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Below find a list of candidates, what district they come from, their gender, and what group they "represent" (members of ethnic groups are also considered 'Janajati'): - Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Rolpa , Male, Chhetri (Second Highest Caste) - Dev Gurung, Manang, Male, Gurung (ethnic group) - Deena NATH Sharma, Baglung, Male, Baun (Highest Caste) - Matrika Prasad Yadav, Dhanusa, Male, Madhesi - Lokendra Bista, Rukum, Male, Janajati - Hisila Yami, Kathmandu, Female, Janajati (Lower Castes) - Janardan Sharma, Rukum, Male, Baun - Lekh Raj Bhatta, Kailali, Male, Baun - Khadga Bahadur BK (Bishwokarma),Kalikot, Male, Dalit (Lowest Caste) - Jayapuri Gharti, Rolpa, Female, Janajati - Suresh Ale Magar, Tanahun, Male, Magar (ethnic group) - Tilak Pariyar, Banke, Male, Dalit - Mahendra Paswan, Siraha, Male, Madhesi - Prabhu Shah, Rautahat, Male, Madhesi - Ramesh Danuwar, Siraha, Male, Madhesi - Kamala Rokka, Rukum, Female, Janajati - Padam Rai, Bhojpur, Male, Rai (ethnic group) KATHMANDU 00000079 002 OF 004 - Ganga Shrestha, Sindhuli, Male, Janajati - Santosh Buda Magar, Rolpa, Male, Magar - Bhakta Bahadur Shah, Jajarkot, Male, Chhetri - Heet Bahadur Tamang, Nuwakot, Male, Tamang (ethnic group) - Ram Chandra Chaudhary, Bardiya, Male, Madhesi - Dilip Maharjan, Kathmandu, Male, Janajati - Narayan Prasad Dahal, Chitwan, Male, Baun - Bam Dev Chhetri, Rupandehi, Male, Chhetri - Purna Subedi, Banke, Female, Baun - Uma Bhujel, Gorkha, Female, Baun - Amrita Thapa, Syangja, Female, Janajati - Tanka Anbo Hang, Taplejung, Male, Janajati - Dharma Sila Chapagain, Jhapa, Female, Baun - Narayani Devi Shrestha, Bhaktapur/Lalitpur, Female, Janajati - Saraswoti Chaudhary, Saptari, Female, Madhesi - Ram Kumari Yadav, Dhanusa, Female, Madhesi - Riwasi Rai, Udayapur, Female, Rai - Satya Pahadi, Dolpa, Female, Chhetri - Shova Kattel, Chitwan, Female, Chhetri - Dama Sharma, Dang, Female, Baun - Uma BK, Kapilbastu, Female, Dalit - Manju Bam, Baitadi, Female, Chhetri - Rupa Chaudhary, Kailali, Female, Madhesi - Bhagwati Pradhan, Sindhulpalchowk, Female, Janajati - Devi Khadka, Dolakha, Female, Chhetri - Kumari Moktan, Makwanpur, Female, Janajati - Sabitri Gurung, Tanahun, Female, Janajati - Balawati Sharma, Baglung, Female, Baun - Rupa BK, Palpa, Female, Dalit - Samjhana BK, Pyuthan, Female, Dalit - Sarala Regmi, Bardiya, Female, Baun - Saraswoti Mohora, Dailekh, Female, Dalit - Ram Ashraya Ram, Parsa, Male, Dalit - Tika Budathoki, Salyan, Female, Janajati - Nandi Sarki, Dadeldhura, Male, Dalit - Mangal BK, Surkhet, Male, Dalit - Parasu Ram Ramtel, Gorkha, Male, Dalit - Bharat Shah, Mahottari, Male, Madhesi - SURYA NATH Yadav, Saptari, Male, Madhesi - Salikram Jammar Kattel, Dhading, Male, Chhetri - Paramananda Verma, Banke, Male, Madhesi - Binod Upadhyaya, Rupandehi, Male, Baun - Shiva Kumar Mandal, Morang, Male, Madhesi - Chinak Kurmi, Nawalparasi, Male, Madhesi - Ram Lotan Tiwari, Kapilbastu, Male, Madhesi - Satya Narayan Bhagat, Rautahat, Male, Madhesi - Indra Jeet Chaudhary, Dang, Male, Madhesi - Puran Rana Tharu, Kanchanpur, Male, Madhesi - Purna Singh Rajbhanshi, Jhapa, Male, Madhesi - Gam Bahadur Shreesa, Myagdi, Male, Janajati - Sudarshan Baral, Gulmi, Male, Janajati - SURYA Man Tamang, Kavre, Male, Tamang - Khim Lal Devkota, Kaski, Male, Baun - Phurbi Sherpa, Sankhusabha, Female, Sherpa (ethnic community) - Sheela Yadav, Bara, Female, Madhesi - Basanta Majhi, Sinduhli, Male, Janajati Biographic Information -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Biographic information for Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Dev Gurung can be found in ref B. Others follow: - Matrika Prasad Yadav was nominated as the head of the Maoist Madhesi Mukti Morcha (Madhesi Liberation Front), replacing Jayakrishna Goit on July 11, 2003. He is also a Politburo member of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist. He was arrested in Patana, India in 2004, and was handed over to the Government of Nepal on February 8, 2004. He was released from jail in Nepal on May 11, 2006, after the April 2006 People's Movement. Yadav was born in 1947 in Dhanusa District. - Lokendra Bista is a Maoist Central Committee Member. - Hisila Yami (alias Parvati) is from the Newar ethnic KATHMANDU 00000079 003 OF 004 community. She is a Politburo member of the Maoists. She is the former chief of the International Department of the Maoist Party, but was placed under disciplinary action in March 2005. She is a trained architect and was lecturer of the Nepal Engineering Campus from 1996 until going underground with the Maoists. She is the wife of Maoist third-in-command Baburam Bhattarai. - Janardan Sharma (alias Prabhakar) is a Baun from Rukum District. He is a Politburo member of the Maoist Party. He served as the Western Division Commander of the Maoists until December 20, 2006, when he was replaced by Tope Bahadur Rayamajhi (alias Anil). - Khadga Bahadur Bishwokarma (BK) (alias Prakanda) is a member of the Dalit community from Kalikot District. He is an alternate Politburo member of the Maoists and is the Chairman of the Bheri-Karnali Regional Autonomous People's Government. He is also the in-charge of the Bheri-Karnali Regional Bureau and Chief of the Central Dalit Department of the Maoist Party. - Jayapuri Gharti is the Chairperson of the All-Nepal Women's Association. She also served as a Central Committee Member of the Maoist Party. - Suresh Ale Magar was arrested in 2004 in Patana, India, and was handed over to the Government of Nepal on February 8, ¶2004. He was released from jail in Nepal on May 11, 2006 after the April 2006 People's Movement. He is a Central Committee Member of the Maoist Party. He was a lecturer of English Literature at the Nepal Law Campus before going underground with the Maoists. - Tilak Pariyar is the Chairman of the Maoist Dalit Mukti Morcha (Dalit Liberation Front). He is also a Central Committee Member of the Maoist Party. - Ganga Shrestha (alias Prabhat) is the former General Secretary of the All-Nepal National Free Students SIPDIS Union-Revolutionary (the Maoist Student Union). He also serves as a Central Committee Member of the Maoist Party. - Santosh Buda Magar was the head of the Magrat (Magar) Autonomous Regional People's Government. He is also a Central Committee Member of the Maoist Party. - Bhakta Bahadur Shah is the head of the Jajarkot District People's Government. He also is a Central Committee Member of the Maoist Party. - Dilip Maharjan is the Chairman of the Newa Khala (Newar Group),an Maoist organization representing the Newari ethnic community. He is a Central Committee Member of the Maoist Party. - Uma Bhujel (alias Silu) is a member of the Maoist Women's Department. She is also a Central Committee Member of the Maoist Party. - Salikram Jammar Kattel is the President of the All-Nepal Trade Union Federation (the Maoist trade union organization). Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Maoist inclusiveness could have an effect on other political parties during the proposed June 2007 Constituent Assembly elections. If the other parties do not follow the example of the Maoists and make their parties more inclusive, the Maoists could legitimately sweep the polls with the support of the minority and ethnic communities, many of whom will be voting in the upcoming election for the first time. The inclusiveness of the Maoist list may have the unexpected positive outcome of forcing some version of inclusiveness on the legitimate political parties. The Maoists will likely KATHMANDU 00000079 004 OF 004 prepare legislation to provide relief for the lower castes and ethnic communities, if only to build voter support in the run-up to the Constituent Assembly elections. DEAN