ANOTHER MERGER ANNOUNCED

ANOTHER MERGER ANNOUNCED

Kathmandu, 18 Sept.: Shikar Finance Limited and Kathamandap Development Bank have announced merger plans in a statement The merger will expand the capital base and reduce operation costs, the statement added.
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PRACHANDA, SUSHIL KOIRALA, JHALANATH KHANAL SPEAK





Kathmandu, 18 Sept. 17, UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda Saturday said that his party stood in favour of peace and constitution and was prepared to make all sacrifices for these causes, The Rising Nepal reports.
While inaugurating the 18th general convention of the Jyapu Society, Lalitpur, attended by leaders of main opposition parties, ruling party chief Prachanda said his party wanted to move ahead towards accomplishing these tasks by taking other political parties along.
Prachanda said that the other political parties, however, would need to be honest towards their duty to respond to the present demand of the nation, that was to conclude the twin tasks of peace and constitution.
"The Maoist party wants to move ahead by taking all other parties along in accomplishing these tasks," he said.
He blamed that some parties were putting aside the main problems and were bargaining for power.
"It is a challenge for all political parties to stand the test. The people will decide which party succeeds in working for them," Prachanda said.
He said the army integration process and the constitution writing had reached the final stages.
What impeded the work from reaching its conclusion was the concept held by others that only the Maoists should make sacrifices, he said.
Vice-president of Nepali Congress Ram Chandra Paudel said his party was ready to help Maoists in every way possible if they sincerely worked towards concluding the twin tasks of peace and constitution.
Paudel, however, asked the Maoists not to doubt about the intention of the NC regarding peace and constitution as it had been in the political process since the 12-point agreement.
He said serious discussions were necessary to conclude the army integration process.
CPN-UML president Jhalanath Khanal said no party could survive for

long if the people were not placed in the centre of its politics.
"Not New Delhi, Beijing or Washington, but the people are the ones to bring the change in Nepal," he said.
The country would need an economic revolution immediately after the conclusion of the peace process and promulgation of the new constitution, he said.
Astaman Maharjan of Purnachandi Tol announced a donation of five million rupees and about two ropanis of land to the Jyapu Society.


SUSHIL KOIRALA



Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala Saturday accused the UCPN-Maoist of obstructing the peace and constitution drafting processes in the pretext of becoming flexible, The Rising Nepal reports from Taulihawa.
Inaugurating the first national convention of the Muslim Association of Nepal in Bhairahawa, Koirala said that the Maoists were not flexible in practice as in their rhetoric.
"As there is a vast gap between the words and deeds of the Maoists, they could not be trusted," he said
He also termed the dispute that surfaced in the Maoists after the handover of the keys of the arms containers as a drama.
"The Maoists are acting only to threaten other parties over the issues of peace and constitution," he said.
Saying that all would appreciate Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda if he succeeded to conclude the tasks of peace and constitution, he urged Prachanda to reciprocate with the help he received from late Girija Prasad Koirala by concluding the two national tasks.
He also urged him take other parties into confidence and not to miss the last chance to conclude peace and constitution processes.
He said that his party would not accept the four-point agreement inked between the Maoists and Madhesis during the formation of the present government.
Reiterating that NC would not compromise with any forces on peace and democracy, he warned that it would be suicidal for the Maoists to see NC as a barrier in concluding the peace and constitution processes.
Earlier in Taulihawa, Koirala said that the Maoists had the main responsibility in concluding the peace process.
Speaking at a function organised by Press Union, Koirala said that the peace process could not conclude as long as the Maoists possess their combatants and weapons.

JHALANATH KHANAL





CPN-UML chairman and former prime minister Jhalanath Khanal Saturday said that the 4-point deal between the UCPN-Maoist and the Madhesi Front was strange, objectionable and mysterious, The Rising Nepal reports from Kathmandu.
Addressing a six-month campaign for expansion and consolidation of the party organised by the Valley Coordination Committee of UML, he also termed the present coalition government as opportunistic.
"The nature and essence of the government, although it was formed through a democratic process, are opportunistic," he said.
Khanal, further, said that there was no basis to trust the present government would complete the peace and constitution drafting processes.
He said that three leftist governments formed after the election to the Constituent Assembly failed to conclude the two tasks of peace and constitution and the present leftist government was also doomed to fail.
He said there was no alternative to national consensus and his party would continue to raise the issue.
Criticising the 4-point pact, Khanal said nationalism was absent from top to bottom of the agreement.
Meanwhile, UML former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said that the Maoists could not be trusted only for handing over the keys of

arms containers to the government.
Speaking at function organised by Rautahat-Kathmandu Liaison Forum, he said that Maoists were trying to escape their responsibility by blaming others.
Nepal also honoured the students who scored the highest marks in the SLC examinations from Rautahat district.
Meanwhile, UML formed Nepal Landless Squatters Organisation Central Ad Hoc Committee coordinated by Ram Prit Paswan.
A national conference of landless squatters held at the party office Balkhu formed the committee, according to a press release of the party.


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