Sujata meeting top BJP leader Tuesday

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 4 March: De facto prime minister and minister without portfolio Sujata Koirala is holding political discussions with Rajnath Singh ,chief of BJP, India’s main opposition party, waiting to form a government in New Delhi following snap elections.
The daughter of prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala flew to the Indian capital Monday on BJP invitation for discussions with the main Indian opposition party opposed to a republic and monarchy supported by the Congress-I of Sonia Gandhi and prime minister Manmohan Singh.
Sujata is visiting New Delhi as she lent consistent support for monarchy but withdrew in her last public statement amid protests from her Congress Party.
Sujata will meet leaders of the Congress (I) as well although she is in India on the invitation of BJP.
While supporting monarchy and a Hindu state, BJP has also come out against the rise of Maoists in Nepal coupled with their control of national politics.
The outcome of the Sujata/Singh meeting is eagerly awaited as the Nepali Congress faces an uphill battle in the assembly election with fresh defections in the terai by seven top southern leaders including central committee member Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar.
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Bodies of UNMIN chopper crash victims being brought to the capital

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 4 March: Bodies of passengers and crew members who died in a UN- registered MI-17 chopper crash over the Ramechap skies Monday is being brought to the capital later Tuesday.
The home ministry said 12 persons, five Nepalese and seven foreigners, were onboard the flight which took-off from a Maoist cantonment in Sindhuli for the capital.
Ten bodies were recovered until last reports as bad weather hampered search and rescue. Rahesh Maharjan, Bhim Bahadur Gurung and Rabindra Khaniiya were local UNMIN staffers killed in the crash—the worst after September 2006.
Three Russians, one Indonesian, one South Korean and one Swede were among those killed, Jandisha reports.
Nepalese crew members Kabindra Bahadur and S Thapa were also killed, the newspaper reported.
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