Special committee on armies integration to be formed

Kathmandu, 21 Oct: A special committee on the integration of Nepal Army and Maoist PLA will be formed by the cabinet Tuesday.
An agreement was reached Monday between Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and CPN-UML General Secretary Jhalanath Khanal.
This was revealed by Peace Minister Janardhan Sharma Prabhakar who said the main opposition will also be included in the committee.
Bijaya Gachedhar, Physical Planning Minister, opposed the proposed integration Monday.
He threatened people of tarai origin will take up arms if bulk integration is enforced.
People from the tarai will also demand mass integration if PLA combatants are integrated in Nepal Army, he said.
Prabhakar said unofficial contacts and discussions have been initiated with rebel groups.
to discuss regional demands of the south.
Formal talks will start soon, he said.
Nnnn

CA session boycotted

Kathmandu, 21 Oct: Tarai Madesh Loktantrik Party boycotted the CA session for the third successive day Tuesday.
The party was protesting the murder of its activists in the south and demanded government security.
Nnnn


GP Koirala haunted by former King Gyanendra’s ghost

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 21 Oct: Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala is still haunted by the ghost of former King Gyanendra even after the declaration of a republic by the CA.
Koirala fears Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and the former king will join hands to derail democracy.
“Gyanendra and Maoists could come together. The question frequently comes to my mind,” Koirala revealed said Monday.
Koirala and Nepali Congress raise fears of totalitarianism and dictatorial rule from the opposition bench; but they have abused democracy and never contributed much to the institutionalization of the much abused democracy while in government.
Power hungry Koirala twice toppled the majority government of his own party when he was out of office and split the Nepali Congress triggering instability and finally royal intervention of King Gyanendra who imposed a three- year personal rule.
Koirala blamed the king for the royal intervention without blaming himself.
Girija now says Maoists are a threat to democracy when he himself brought them into mainstream politics by conniving with foreign forces, especially India, USA and United Kingdom.
He colluded with these countries encouraging foreign intervention and subsequent instability threatening the institutionalization of democracy.
When he was prime minister, Baluwatar was a focal point for international conspiracy.
Through an unelected parliament, Koirala shred the 1990 constitution drafted by his own party and described as one of the best constitutions in the world.
An interim constitution was arbitrarily imposed on 24 million Nepalis without popular consent and consultation.
More than six months after the 10 April election for the CA, discussion hasn’t even started on drafting a constitution within the remaining 18 months; the constitution, if it’s drafted within the timeframe, will be imposed by parties without consulting the people.
A culture of street politics and foreign intervention has been encouraged by Koirala—the biggest threat to the institutional development of democracy in Nepal.
Koirala and the Congress are now colluding to topple the Maoist-led government only four months after its installation on the flimsy ground of a Maoist threat to democracy; the replace government of a so-called democratic front will be unstable as Maoists are the single largest party in the assembly.
Koirala charges Maoists for abandoning consensus politics.
But Koirala never wanted to give up power and wanted to continue as prime minister; he never thought Maoists would win assembly elections.
Unwilling to give up power after losing elections as a democrat should have done, Koirala attempted to create a new power center in a president.
Maoists understood the Koirala game plan and effectively stoped Koirala from becing elected Nepal’s first president.
Nepal has entered an uncertain era, thanks to Koirala’s gamble; the very survival of the country is threatened with such uncertainty.
Democracy without a country is meaningless.
Nnnn