Maoists gain one seat in CA which is also parliament

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 12 April: Maoists gained one seat in the constituent assembly (CA), which is also parliament, in Friday’s by-elections in six constituencies.
With final results in late Saturday night, Maoists collected three seats in the assembly, retaining two seats they vacated.
Chandra Bahadur Buda, who defected to Maoist from RPP-Nepal, retained a constituency from Rolpa vacated by Prime Minister Prachanda after being elected from two constituencies in the 10 April 2008 CA elections.
Buda collected 19,933 votes to defeat his nearest UPL-UML rival by more than 13,000 votes.
Maoists launched their people’s war 14 years ago from Rolpa where they were based.
Maoists gained a seat vacated by Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress in Kanchanpur and also retained a seat in Kaski vacated by Maoist Law Minister Deb Gurung.
CPN-UML also gained a seat in Dhanusha where Nepali Congress lost a seat vacated by President Dr Ram Baran Yadav after he was appointed president.
Nepali Congress lost two seats but gained one in Morang 5 where Dr Shekhar Koirala, staged a comeback after losing to Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar of MJF in the 2008 elections.
The family of party President Girija Prasad Koirala suffered humiliation when all but one family member were trounced in the 2008 vote.
MJF, the largest party in the terai, retained another seat in Morang 7.
Maoists captured three, main opposition Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and MJF one seat in Friday’s by-elections.
MJF put up candidates only in three terai districts on a One Madesh, One Pradesh plank opposed by the three other parties who registered victories.
The new lawmakers will be sworn in Monday when the CA and parliament are scheduled to meet.
Voting turnout about 50 percent—low by Nepali standard—amid a rebellion in the terai.
Participation in elections in Nepal is normally about 64 percent.
Nnnn

Drafting of the constitution is behind schedule

Kathmandu, 12 April: A six-member joint task force of the Unified CPN (Maoist) and coalition partner CPN-UML has to furnish suggestions Sunday on ways to resolve a political deadlock that is hampering work of government, parliament and could even delay the work of drafting a constitution.
The winter session of parliament ends Monday and not even one bill or ordinance pending in parliament has been passed following disruption of proceedings from 25 March.
Major parties have suggested the winter session should be extended.
A preliminary of the constitution has to be submitted by a constitution drafting committee headed by Madhav Kumar Nepal on 23 April one day before Loktantra day—the fourth anniversary of the fall of the royal regime.
CPN-UML has been boycotting cabinet sessions and obstructing parliamentary meetings demanding action by coalition partner Maoists against Sujit BK-alleged killer of a CPN-UML youth leader in Butwal.
Main opposition Nepali Congress has been obstructing parliamentary sessions since 25 March demanding a statement from the prime minister on five demands, including a return of seized assets.
There is no agreement as yet on the fundamental features of a constitution—with Maoists demanding a presidential communist form of government and Nepali Congress insisting of a parliamentary system of government.
After spending Rs 440 millionon collecting public opinion by visiting districts, Madhav Kumar Nepal said Saturday people now should be consulted on a new structure of government and state .
Response of the people during visits of lawmakers was poor; people didn’t respond as questionnaires that were legalistic and they couldn’t be understood by laymen.
nnnn


Dr Baburam Bhattarai issues challenge to supreme court

Kathmandu, 12 April: Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai Saturday issued a challenge to the supreme court to six Maoist leaders,including him and Prime Minister Prachanda.
“Put us in jail if you can,” he told a public meeting in Gorkha one day after the supreme court asked six Maoists to furnish written replies within one week against contempt of court charges.
Bhattarai charged the supreme court was running as in the panchayat period.
He repeated an earlier call that judges should be elected.
Maoist leaders have been burning effigies of judges and making personal comments against judged after a verdict asking the Maoist-led government to reinstate eight brigadier generals of the Nepal Army whose tenure was not extended.
The request was made by the army.
nnnn

Army division chiefs meet Sunday

Kathmandu, 12 April: A two-day meeting of six division chiefs of Nepal Army starts at army headquarters Sunday.
Army Chief Gen Rukmangud Katawal is to launch the meeting.
The meeting has been called after a cooling of relationship between the Maoist-led government and the army.
nnnn

Chinese at Kimathanka border to curb activities by Dalai Lama suporters

Kathmandu, 12 April: Chinese government has for the first time established a red army camp of nearly 600 soldiers adjoining Nepal’s border at Kimathanka, Surendra Subedi reports from Sankuwasabha.
The army has been Nepali territory as well.
Sankhuwasabha district administration said the main camp is at Dendang in China and a 24-hour vigil is being kept by establishing camps at more than 12 points on the Nepal-China border at Kamu khola, Changa, Arun river and Saadang.
Acting CDO Rajendra Sigdel said,” Information has been received after Dalai Lama supporters in Nepal increased anti-China activities, camps have been established to control such activities.”
Police Chief Poshraj Pokhrel said the red army has been deployed after anti-China activities at some places in Kathmandu.
A dozen Nepali policemen posted at the border are sending reports to the district.
The well-equipped red army is keeping a 24-hour vigil.
Nearly 500 persons of Tibetan origin in Sankhuwasabha are deployed for the protection of Dalai Lama.
Every year about a dozen Tibetan-speaking people from the district are recruited by in the Dalai Lam army.
Sankhuwasabha lawmaker Dambar Bahadur Khadka said the army may have been deployed fearing anti-China could be started on this basis.
Nepalis are strictly watched as they enter Dedang; entry into China is prohibited from 10 on the morning at four in the afternoon.
Nnnn

MEDIA WATCH

“There are some anarchist elements in CPN-UML. These elements are creating indiscipline in the party.”

(Home Minister Bamdeb Gautam, Kantipur, 12 April”
Nnnn

‘We’re witnessing here a gaijatra nor seen anywhere else. There’s leg-pulling going on even while continuing in government.”

(Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Annapurna Post, 12 April)
nnnn