Suk Bahadur Kumal was one in a small group of locals who had gathered at Kumaltaar of the Chyangli VDC last Saturday to listen Senior Maoist leader and former Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai.

He had his own reason to be happy at the arrival of Bhattarai in the village the first time, 14 months after the Constituent Assembly elections of April last year. The Maoist's government's loan waiver policy had "become a boon for him".

Suk Bahadur had borrowed Rs. 12,000 from the local Small Farmers Development Programme that was run by the Agricultural Development Bank before the Maoist party announced its people war. The office where he had deposited his property ownership documents was the first government office that was attacked by the Maoists before they began their people's war.

Suk Bahadur was working in the sugarcane field on Feb. 13, 1996, at 3:45 p.m. 45 Maoists personnel attacked the Small Farmers Development Programme of Chyangli and seized 19 land ownership documents deposited by the peasants there.

“When I was returning home from the sugarcane farm, I saw my partially burnt land ownership document left outside the office premises,” he said on Saturday remembering the incident of 14 years ago. "I didn’t pick it up, because I was afraid as police were raiding the entire village."

Later, he learnt that police picked up the document from the scene but he is glad now as he has got the same partially burnt land ownership documents during the eight month tenure of Maoist led government.

In a brief conversation he said that he had borrowed the loan for banana plantation and tomato farming. He showed the document and posed a photo before his hut made of bamboo and stone. With the ouster of Maoist from government, the new CPN-UML government is all set to abolish the loan waving policy in its budget that will be announced next week.

While addressing the function at Chyangli, Bhattarai said lifting loan was a step to provide relief to the peasants and he vowed the Maoist party will continue to fight until the ownership of land is transferred to peasants. He said the revolution in Nepal will not complete unless the farmers get the ownership of land.

Bhattarai was the incharge of Gandak Bureau during the time of Chyangli operation. "Our party will take forward the proposal to construct a monument here as this place marks the beginning of the peasants' revolution," he said

 Hit Raj Pandey, Maoist politburo member now, had  resigned a week before the Chyangli attack from the post of the headmaster of the local Biruwa High School, he explained the gathering how he rekeyed the office. The half hour programme was conducted on the terrace of the house where the office was located 14 years ago.

Local Durga Bahadur B.K. said lack of irrigation facility was a big problem in the village. He said agricultural productivity in Palungtaar, Gaikhurtaar, Dhuwakottaar and Shirkottaar was totally dependent on rain. Till last Saturday, the lands were tilled but there was no plantation in most places as people were waiting for rain.

Bhattarai said the ongoing feasibility study to construct irrigation canal from Chepe and Daraundi rivers can suggest the idea how the problem can be dealt. He also said lift irrigation methodology can be adopted in the long term if the hydropower project can be set up in Marshyangdi.

While most of the politicians are busy in Kathmandu, Bhattarai visits his constituency Gorkha-2, at least once a month and interact with his voters.

Dahal is a journalist Associated with The Kathmandu Post.

Chyangli (Gorkha), July 8, 2009