Parliament being prorogued Monday night; other details

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 19 Jan: Parliament budget session is being prorogued Monday night from 9 PM.
PM Prachanda recommended it at a meeting Monday with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav after discussions with CA Chairman Subash Nemwang Sunday.
CA which also acts as parliament is still half a dozen legislative proposals.
The final session of parliament started fours hours late.
The budget session started three months late as Nepali Congress attempted to stop a Maoist takeover of power after winning the 10 April 2008 assembly elections.
Maoists also withheld support for NC President Girija Prasad Koirala as republican Nepal’s first president triggering a current political crisis.
Madesh Janaadhikar Forum (MJF), the third largest party, in parliament is holding its second general convention in Birgunj, the party headquarters, as the CA was in session.
Attendance of lawmakers has been thin.
The convention amended a party statue to increase 31-member central committee to 35 members.
Elections are being held Tuesday for Chairmanship of the party; Chairman Upendra Yadav is being challenged despite efforts for unanimous elections.
The party said One Madesh, One Pradesh demand in non-negotiable.
A NGO financed by US/AID and Denmark has received unprecedented permission from the CA to transmit live discussions at the CA to its office in the capital from Singha Durbar and Birendra International Convention Center.
“The permission was received as lawmakers themselves complained of foreign play,” Naya Patrika reports.
UNDP is vehicles for chairmen of 24 commissions also drafting the constitution.
Lawmakers earlier refused to ride Indian buses from homes to parliament provided by the Indian embassy.
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Dr Baburam Bhattarai threatens resignation

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 19 Jan: Finance Dr Baburam Bhattarai Friday morning met PM Prachanda and threatened to resign soon, Tarun reports.
Dr Bhattarai is being cornered by Mohan Baidra Kiran and Netra Bikram Chand Biplan group in the party for a long time.
Dr Bhattarai is resigning because of Prachanda’s working style.
Dr Bhattarai spoke to nearly one dozen economists Friday afternoon at his office, including Sriram Paudel, Gunanidhi Sharma and Rammani Pokhrel, and told them: “Probably, I’ll resign in a few days.”
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5,000 civil servants being transferred

Kathmandu, 19 Jan: Preparations are afoot to massively transfer officials as Prime Minister Prachanda said officials aren’t cooperating to give people a feelingof change, Tarun reports.
Minister for general Administration Pampha Bhusal is preparing plans on orders of the prime minister
and the party.
There’s a provision for inter-ministerial transfers in the end of Magh (11 February).
The ministry is preparing to transfer 5,000 officials from non-commissioned to joint secretary levels.
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Unarmed police post attacked in Makwanpur

Kathmandu, 19 Jan: An unarmed police post was attacke din Padam Pokhari, Makwanpur, overnight injuring a Madeshi policeman.
He is undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital for serious injuries.
Two assailants have been arrested.
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Lawmaker Baban Singh admitted to hospital

Kathmandu, 19 Jan: Lawmaker Babar Singh accused for murdering two persons was overnight admitted to Narayani Zonal Hospital after complaining of heart pains.
Police said the illness Singh was faking illness.
He was arrested in Birjung this week.
Students and businesses were closed in a continuing indefinite strike protesting the arrest.
Singh was being detained at Birgunj.
Doctors said Singhis being released Tuesday morning and he’s out of danger.
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Load-shedding hours being reduced to 10 hours

Kathmandu, 19 Jan: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) said in a public statement Monday load-shedding hours was being reduced to 10 hours every day from Fangun [13 February] providing people some relief.
It also justified the current 16-hour daily curb in power distribution.
The Authority said a transmission line importing 80 MW power was damaged by Kosi floods in the monsoon.
The water level at Kulekhani had fallen and the commissioning of the German-aided Mid-Marshyangdhi has been delayed by strikes.
Maoist strikes also delayed the project implementation.
The snow-fed river water flow is also expected to rise with the end of winter, the NEA said.
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Grandfather attempting rape killed by grandchild

Kathmandu, 19 Jan: Samjhana Shrestha, 22, Saturday killed her grandfather who attempted to rape her in Bhumlutar-2, Kavre.
Grandfather Khadga Bahadur Shrestha was 52.
She smashed his testes with an agricultural tool, published reports said Monday.
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More birds culled in Jhapa Monday


Kathmandu, 19 Jan: Nearly 5,000 ducks and chickens have been culled in two days beginning Sunday after an outbreak of bird flu in Kakarvitta in Jhapa.
Ten teams of a special squad dispatched from Kathmandu are active in killing birds and destroying eggs amid protests from farmers demanding adequate compensation. Agriculture Minister Jayaprakash Gupta said Nepal is the 66th country where the dreaded contagious disease has been detected.
Emergency measures have been taken in adjoining districts like Morang to contain the disease in Jhapa.
But migrating birds from even from Siberia could spread the disease in Nepal.
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No agreement on central leadership of Unified CPN (Maoist)

Kathmandu, 19 Jan: There was no agreement even Monday at a secretariat meeting of Unified CPN (Maoist) for third successive day to appoint a central leadership.
Secretariat meeting will continue Tuesday for agreement; an agreement will pave the way for a meeting of the central committee, party sources said.
The unified party has been meeting for the first time after CPN (Maoist) and CPN (Unity Center/Mashal) unified.
A dissident group in CPN (Unity Center/Mashal) has challenged the unification.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“I can’t say why China government sent a high-level delegation. [to attend MJF general convention headed by head of the Chinese Communist Party international department]. It will help China help develop a right policy to Madesh.”

(Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta, Kantipur, 19 Jan.)
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“Acting President of Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala blamed the present government that the country was making headway to anarchy and disarray due to its irresponsible activities.”

(RSS report, The Rising Nepal, 19 Jan.)

‘Public hearing process [of appointed judges by parliament] is intervention in an independent judiciary.”


(Chief Justice Kedar Giri, Rajdhani, 19 Jan.)


‘It’s not in our hands any longer.”

(NC President Girija Prasad Koirala telling PM Prachanda who sought cooperation to run government, Sanghu, 19 Jan.)
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