Maoist insurgency in Nepal: Examining socio‐economic grievances and political implications

The Maoist Insurgency in Nepal is an offshoot of the socio‐economic grievances accumulated over a period of time. Reintroduction of democracy in 1990 raised Nepalese expectations regarding governance. The political instability and frequent change in government gave less time to the parties to concentrate on the issues pertaining to economic development and social upliftment. While political survivability of the government remained shaky, the administrative corruption and mismanagement became the hallmark of the government. The Nepalese did not see much change in the political system because many leaders of the Panchayat regime continued to occupy important positions in the democratic regime. The Maoists capitalised on these grievances and convincingly articulated the aspirations of the people. Moreover, the Maoists established ‘Peoples Government’ in many parts of Nepal. Their ideology of a classless society appealed to the masses in these backward regions. Backed by a strong and committed cadre, the Maoists perpetuated violence by making the government offices defunct in areas under their control. The negotiations with the government failed due to the uncompromising stand taken by the Maoists. Their demands ranged from socio‐economic issues, political agenda based on ideology to foreign policy issues. This paper analyses some of the grievances of the Maoists and examines why the political parties have not been able to address them. Morover, the implications of the foreign policy agenda of the Maoists on the Indo‐Nepal relations are also examined. The paper also analyses whether the counter‐insurgency method would succeed, if not, what could be the reasons, behind its failure.