The Leadership Turnover: A Reflection on Matatirtha Aunsi and Political Loyalty
Today is Matatirtha Aunsi (Mother’s Day). By coincidence, I recalled something my mother used to tell me—and others—when I was a child. She would say:
“A man must be wise and alert. Otherwise, his wife might soil his pillow at midnight and vanish with someone else before dawn.”
In simpler terms: If you aren't a capable partner, don't be surprised when you are abandoned.
We see marriages end every day; men bring home second wives, and women leave. It happens. But if a man’s partners keep leaving him for others, one must conclude the problem lies with the husband. This is exactly the predicament of Madhesi leader Upendra Yadav, from the days of the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum to the current People’s Socialist Party (JSP).
The Corporate Analogy: Retention vs. Turnover
In the professional world, major international clubs or corporations dismiss employees at their discretion. They often cite a "mismatch in vision, mission, or objectives." This is standard.
However, if a company consistently fires its best talent, or if no one can stand to stay there for long, the problem isn’t the employees—it’s the leadership or the company culture. People join such organisations lured by the brand name, but they flee once they encounter an autocratic or undemocratic leadership style. When a company has a high Employee Turnover Rate and a dismal Retention Rate, it is a sign of internal decay.
Upendra Yadav’s JSP is that failing company. Less than a year after parting ways with Baburam Bhattarai, Ashok Rai has "soiled the pillow" and departed. Not only has he left, but the Election Commission has already handed him the "divorce certificate." Yet, Upendra remains in denial, insisting he is the perfect partner and everyone else is at fault.
A History of Isolation
History will record Yadav's role in the liberation of the Madhesi people, but it will also record him as a leader who could never coexist. He couldn't stay with Prachanda or the Maoists. As he moved through the Forum, SSFO, and JSP, he lost Bijay Gachhadar, Mahanta Thakur, JP Gupta, and Rajendra Mahato. He couldn't align with Baburam, and now, even Ashok Rai and Rajendra Shrestha have walked out.
Despite the exodus, he claims the party is united. Regardless of who is in power, Upendra Yadav finds a way to sit in the government, all while maintaining that he is right and the rest of the world is wrong.
It is time for the people who have supported him in the name of social justice and identity to pause and reflect.