How many more bodies? The Maoist revolution has suddenly moved to fast-forward. by Sudhir Sharma When the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) held its second convention in Dang in February, the party announced a new Prachanda Path doctrine calling for a "mass uprising" in urban areas to take the revolution forward. At the vanguard would be Maoist front organisations of students, women and workers. The royal massacre of 1 June prompted the party to accelerate its preparations for such a mass uprising which would prepare the ground for an interim peoples' government at the centre. Maoist leaders saw the street protests that followed the massacre and widespread public skepticism about the new king as an opportunity to cash in on the confusion. They had banked on the street protests escalating, the anti-Gyanendra wave intensifying, and also on ingratiating themselves to Beijing. There are indications now that the party brass miscalculated. "They know they got it wrong," one source told us. There just wasn't enough critical mass in the protests for the Maoists to instigate an urban uprising by piggy-backing on the public anger and shock, and the spontaneous outpouring of public grief indicated that deep down Nepalis believed, even respected, the institution of monarchy. Then the five sympathetic moderate left parties did not entirely support the Maoists in their strategy
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