Major events of 2012

KAMAL PARIYAR

Jan 8- United Democratic Madheshi Front (UDMF) in collaboration with indigenous groups prepared a new inclusion bill to present in the parliament.

Jan 9- Maoist Chairman Dahal and vice chairman Baidhya agreed to formulate a common political proposal in the spirit of the “revolutionary line” of the Palungtar plenum despite ongoing intra-party crisis.

Jan 9-15 parties including Nepali Congress and CPN UML urged UCPN Maoists not to obstruct peace process.

Ball now in PM's court

KATHMANDU, Dec 26: The entire debate and discussion on choosing a new prime ministerial candidate has finally come to center on the struggle between two leaders of the ruling UCPN (Maoist), Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who is also party vice-chairman.

Until a few weeks ago, the negotiations used to be among leaders from the major political parties, such as UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML. But lately it has narrowed down to discussions within the UCPN (Maoist).

No Big Rift Between Dahal And Bhattarai

Following President Ram Baran Yadav’s fifth extension of consensus deadline, Chairman of the breakaway Maoist party, CPN-Maoist, Mohan Baidya, seems indifferent to hectic parleys between four major forces. He believes the ongoing talks are unlikely to lead to lasting solutions without inclusion of all political forces. Kiran Pun and Biswas Baral tried to find out more about the veteran Maoist leader’s displeasure with the ongoing process.

Bhattarai challenges Dahal's plan on govt change

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Dec 23: After failing to take a decision either to give continuity to Baburam Bhattarai´s current government or to support NC President Sushil Koirala as the candidate for new prime minister, the ruling UCPN (Maoist) has entrusted the party´s office-bearers with the responsibility of taking the decision on government leadership.
The eagerly awaited extended meeting of party office-bearers [former standing committee members, bureau in-charges and state committee coordinators] held in Kathmandu on Saturday, also increased the confusion in the Nepali political firmament.

UCPN (Maoist) unlikely to support Koirala as new prime minister

 KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Dec 21: As all eyes are on the ruling UCPN (Maoist) party´s much-awaited meeting that is to decide the party´s official position on government leadership, the very first meeting on Friday indicated that forcing Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to quit would be a tough task for party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Though opposition leaders closely involved in inter-party negotiations claim that Dahal is very much positive about ending the political deadlock, Bhattarai-camp´s projection of Nepali Congress (NC) prime ministerial candidate Sushil Koirala as anti-federalist is going to be a hard nut for Dahal to crack. Dahal would be lebelled anti-federalist if he supports Koirala´s candidacy.

According to leaders attending the meeting, Dahal clarified that he has not reached any understanding with other parties against the party´s earlier decision to stake the party´s claim to government leadership. They said while Bhattarai was aggressive during the meeting, Dahal spent most of his time clarifying that he has not taken any decision keeping Bhattarai in the dark.

Bhattarai boycotts party meeting

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Dec 20: In a clear sign of the widening rift between Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the ruling UCPN (Maoist) and Vice-chairman and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, the latter boycotted a party office-bearers´ meeting on Wednesday that was supposed to decide the official party position on whether or not to quit government.

The rift in the ruling party has widened at a time when party Chairman Dahal is positive about handing over government leadership to Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala while the prime minister is insisting on leaving office only after the NC and CPN-UML join the present government to transform it into a national consensus government.

Hard done

Comrade Hukuma a.k.a. Tulasa Pariyar

NABIN BIBHAS
One after another well-dressed men enter the big building. Most of them look well fed, the accumulated calories now showing in their oversized bellies. They come in vehicles with multicolored flags fluttering from hoods, their big wheels raking up mini-gusts of dust.
Watching the little eddies of dust are over three dozen women in a field nearby, many with little babies pressed to their chests. The threadbare garments on their bodies seem to be waging a losing battle against the bitter December cold.

There is heavy presence of security forces to stop them from entering the building.

This is the scene outside the UCPN (Maoist) head office at Perisdanda. The people sitting on the ground are ‘disqualified’ PLA who have been on a relay sit-in protest since Nov 25.

Dahal-Bhattarai rift surfaces yet again

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Dec 13: Barely six months after the top UCPN (Maoist) leaders claimed that the factions within the party had been dissolved for good, rival factions of the Maoist trade union close to Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai clashed on Monday.

Bikram Rai, Maniram Thapa and Rajan Bista close to Bhattarai and Jhalak Shrestha close Dahal were injured in the incident. Following the incident, trade union leaders close to the Bhattarai faction have filed a case against Dahal faction union leaders.

Golden chance for Dahal: Maoist general convention from Feb 2

KIRAN PUN

KATHMANDU, Dec 8: The long overdue general convention of the ruling UCPN (Maoist) has been rescheduled for coming February 2, in Hetauda.
Earlier, the meeting was scheduled for January 27 in Kathmandu. It will be for five days and can be extended two more days if needed.

The party has not held a general convention for the last 20 years. It had also failed to hold the general convention announced two years ago.

A joint meeting of party office-bearers and state committee coordinators held at the prime minister´s residence at Baluwatar on Friday took the decision to reschedule the general convention.

सबै शीर्ष नेता दीर्घरोगी: प्रेसर र सुगर साझा, केहीको मुत्रनलीमा समस्या

१८ मंसिर, काठमाडौं । लामो समयदेखि ‘बिरामीले थलिएको’ देशलाई निको पार्ने जिम्मा पाएका राजनीतिक दलका शीर्ष नेताहरु आफैं बिरामी छन् । उमेर ढल्कँदै जाँदा स्वास्थ्यमा देखिने स्वाभाविक समस्या त सबैलाई छँदैछ । त्यसमाथि तनाव, दौडधूप, खानपानमा अनियमितता लगायतका कारण नेताहरु आम मानिसले भन्दा थप रोग बोक्न बाध्य छन् ।

First of many

ILLUSTRATION/REPUBLICA

NABIN BIBHAS
THE ‘SLAPGATE’
“Has CM [Chairman] comrade been slapped?”
“Do the Maoists really believe the slap was a conspiracy hatched by reactionaries and extremists?”

Some Rolpali Maoist comrades and villagers—who had fed Dahal and other Maoist leaders, and provided them shelter and security during the insurgency days—telephoned to inquire about the now famous ‘slapgate’.

Why Baidya fielded Badal [Thapa] for PM?

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Dec 2: While the CPN-Maoist announced the name of its general secretary, Ram Bahadur Thapa, as the party´s candidate for prime minister even earlier than the UCPN(Maoist) and Nepali Congress, a query has arisen whether this is serious or just political posturing.
The CPN-Maoist knowns well that there is slim chance to getting the support of international forces that play a decisive role in Nepali politics and there also seems to be slim chance of support from the major parties, including UCPN (Maoist).
Amid such adverse circumstances, the CPN-Maoist had formally announced Thapa as their candidate for new prime minister on Oct. 30, claming to be the third alternative political force in the country.