Nepal Notebook

Another blow to Premier Koirala’s election plans

By Bhola B Rana


Kathmandu, 9 Feb: Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the seven-party front that includes Maoists received a rude shock with the formation of a front by three terai parties Saturday.
The front rejected participation in the 10 April election assembly polls without proportional representation on population basis and right to self-determination and provincial autonomy—virtual declaration of independence after 2.4 million people, mostly Indians, were given citizenship after April 2006.
The whole demographic equation of the terai has changed and Chure Bhabar said it won’t participate in the election until the certificates are nullified..
The front effectively rejected prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s desperate invitation to terai groups for talks with promises to meet ‘any demand’ if only they agreed to elections—election for election sake to satisfy the ego of Koirala.
“The demands are new,” Peace Minister Ram Chandra Paudel said hours after an accompanying threat to launch an indefinite strike from 13 February to push six demands with rights to self-determination and provincial autonomy.—a virtual declaration of independence.
Paudel invited the front consisting of Terai Madesh Loktantrik Party (TMLP), Madesh Jatantrik Forum and NSP led by Rajendra Mahoto for immediate talks.
The fresh threat is a shock because the demand means election will have to be postponed for the third time.
The election rules may have to be amended as the Election Commission works frantically to complete final preparations for the controversial and unlikely elections anyway.
The amendment will push the elections to September/ October after the annual monsoon.
The front said it won’t participate in the 10 April constituent assembly elections if demands aren’t met.
A closure of government offices will be enforced from 17 February to be followed by a blockade one day later.
Government will have to use force to push elections for which there isn’t an environment anyway with daily killings in the terai.
Foreigners, especially Americans, are pushing an Iraq-style elections. Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg came calling Friday urging elections with promises of liberal cash flow to a cash-started country and government.
Koirala and foreigners are pushing elections which won’t solve the current problems and pessimism and despondency rule supreme.
‘A recent survey conducted by an international magazine stated that Nepal is among the top five worst countries to live in. Well, if you take a glance at the current situation of the country, you would want to agree with the testimonial…
“Apart from the fact that the country suffers from power cut of eight hours a day, its politics is too unstable to be stabilized.
“When we think about Africa and it poor people, these are the thoughts that run across our mind; we are no less compared to the life styles they face. Indeed, we live in a country which is among the top five worst,” Binson Shrestha said in The Kathmandu Post.
The three parties demanded 45 martyrs should be declared martyrs.
They demanded nearly half the country’s 24 million population should be proportionally represented in the government and Nepal Army.
Merits and demerits of the demands apart, the group that prefers to call itself has been enlarged from two to three; the Mahoto and Forum has earlier formed another front.
The formation of the front comes immediately after calls by India for a resolution of political demands in the terai and the defection of the of the TMLP from major national parties--- defections which will weaken the base of the parties in a region bordering India.
Only an election will prove the extent of the damage to national parties like Congress, CPN-UML and Maoists who hadn’t conducted popular elections anyway.
Peace Minister Ram Chandra Paudel immediately asked front to come for talks.
“I request them to come for discussions. We will consider the demands that cab be met. They should come for talks for talks before starting the movement,” Paudel told reporters hopefully.
“Election is a common issue. I have requested for talks,” Paudel added.
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Nepal delivers Dr Rawat to India

Kathmandu, 9 Feb: Nepal hastily delivered Dr Amik Kumar Rawat India’s CBI at Kathmandu’s International Airport Saturday after prime minister Manmohan Singh telephoned his Nepali counterpart Girija Prasad Koirala hours earlier demanding the racketeer in kidneys be immediately extradited.
Koirala didn’t wait for charges of illegal possession of convertible currency and illegal trading in body parts to be registered at a Kathmandu court by Nepal police Sunday after an extended two-day holiday.
Dr Rawat was arrested Thursday as he attempting to fly to Canada from Nepal.
One lawyer said charged the extradition is illegal as Nepal and India haven’t worked an extradition treaty between the two countries opposed by Maoists in government because a proposed draft that Koirala government was about to sign in 2007 would give India sweeping powers to nab foreigners, especially Pakistanis on Indian government wanted list.
India had sought the extradition of the doctor arrested in Nepal; he illegally traded in kidneys.
Nepal police earlier said he would be charged in Nepal Sunday for illegal trade in body parts.
The doctor was handed over conducting without formal extradition proceedings.
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