CONTROVERSIAL AGREEMENT WITH INDIA REFERRED TO MAOIST CENTRAL COMMITTEE

CONROVERSIAL AGREEMENT WITH INDIA REFERRED TO MAOIST CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Kathmandu, 26 Oct.: Maoist standing committee Wednesday decided to to refer a controversial agreement on protecting Indian investments
signed during the just concluded visit of Prime Minister Baburam
Bhattarai to the central committee which meets 31October.
An agreement was reached at the standing committee Wednesday not to make public comments on the agreement before the central committee.
meet.
PM Bhattarai was greeted with black flags when he returned from
India after concluding the visit by a faction led by UCPN (Maoist)
First Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya.
Majority standing committee members criticizes the agreement and the government chief.
Baidya and his supporters have made scathing comments against the Maoist chief and the premier.
Supporter of Baidya, top leader Deb Gurung said the central
committee will review the agreement and the delayed integration of
19,000 plus Maoist combatants in state security agencies.
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MAOIST CHIEF ASKED PM BHATTARAI TO SIGN CONTROVERSIAL AGREEMENT WITH INDIA CONDITIONAALLY
Kathmandu, 26 Oct.: The Unified CPN-Maoist standing committee today discussed a middle path to sort out the issue of Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) after the Baidhya-faction of the party vehemently opposed the agreement that the Maoist-led government signed with India, The Himalayan
Times reports.

During the more than five-hour meeting held at party headquarters, Paris Danda, Koteswor, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai briefed the party about his India visit and BIPPA agreement. His ministers supported him and urged the Standing Committee to endorse the agreement.

Bhattarai urged the standing committee to endorse the agreement, saying that otherwise he would have to quit the government, but leaders of the hard-line faction said majority of standing committee members had judged that the PM’s decision was not good.

According to one standing committee member, Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had told the meeting to find a middle way so that Bhattarai would not be forced to quit and the issue would be sorted out logically.

Dahal said that with no preparation to fill the vacuum created in the event of Bhattarai’s resignation, the party must come up with some idea to resolve the issue. Party Spokesperson Dinanath Sharma also maintained neutrality, saying discussions should continue.

PM Bhattarai had consulted Dahal from New Delhi, and the latter had told him to go ahead if a package deal could be signed with necessary corrections and DTAA.

Deputy PM Narayan Kaji Shrestha had reservations on some BIPPA provisions, which he had put in the cabinet meeting held before heading for New Delhi. He had conveyed his reservations to Chairman Dahal.

Shrestha’s concern had to do with compensation to be provided to Indian companies here, which could be misinterpreted and the nation may not be able to pay compensation.

According to a standing committee member, Dahal had maintained neutrality during today’s meeting claiming that he would have advised Bhattarai not to sign BIPPA without the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and without reviewing some provisions.

During the meeting, Finance Minister Barshaman Pun had raised the issue of black flags and the chairman’s connection with Indian Intelligence Agency, to which Dahal said he had not taken the issue seriously.

Deputy PM Shrestha opined that the standing committee might own up the BIPPA with some corrections and suggestions to the government.

Leaders of the Baidhya-faction said they urged that the issue be taken to the central committee. The meeting will continue tomorrow [Wednesday] morning.
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FURTHER DETAILS OF SACKED MAOIST

MINISTER SAH INVOLVEMENT IN MURDER

Kathmandu, 26 Oct.: A court document obtained by The Himalayan Times today revealed that former minister for land reforms and management Prabhu Sah had paid Rs 200,000 to his co-accused Aman Kushwaha for help in killing Hindu Yuva Sangh Chairman Kashi Nath Tiwari, The Himalayan Times reports.

This development comes at a time when a number of senior UCPN-Maoist leaders, including Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal have been defending Sah.

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai sacked Sah on October 20 after it came to light that government joint secretary Nagendra Jha had tried to bribe Tiwari’s wife Babita Devi with Rs 8 lakhs in exchange for changing her statement to the police.

Jha wanted her to say Sah did not have any hand in her husband’s murder.

According to Aman Kushwaha’s statement recorded at Parsa District Court on October 12, the former minister invited him through his personal assistant Siyaram Kushwaha alias Firoz after Hindu Yuva Sangh activists foiled the movement launched by UCPN-Maoist demanding the resignation of then Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.

“Since I was a part-time cadre of Young Communist League, I met Kushwaha at the YCL Office where only Firoz and CA member Sah were present. Firoz introduced me to Sah,” Aman’s statement clarifies.

“At first, Sah inquired about my family affairs, praised me for my motorbike riding skills and later asked for my help in a work of the party. He even offered to send me abroad. Though I voiced support for him, I did not know the type of help they needed,” the statement reads.

Later, Sah called Siyaram and asked the name of Birgunj Hindu Yuva Sangh chief. “When Siyaram mentioned Kashi Nath Tiwari by name, he handed over Rs 50,000 and a black pistol to Siyaram, saying Tiwari had to be killed.”

According to the statement, Siyaram sent Aman back after extracting a promise of help in the future from him.

Three to four days later, Siyaram called Aman and called him to the YCL Office in Simara on June 26, last year. “When I reached Simara, Siyaram handed me an 180 CC Pulsar motorbike and he sat pillion. We drove to Birgunj. When we reached the temple near Ashok Batika, he told me to stop the bike in front of a hut. He then told me to wait while he went to meet a friend inside the temple. After a while, I heard three rounds of firing. He came hurriedly and told me to leave. I came to know the following day that Siyaram had killed Kashi Nath Tiwari.”

According to Aman, Siyaram again called his cell phone after a gap of three to four days and invited him to come to Balkhu, Kathmandu. Aman then came to the capital and met CA member Sah at his residence Sanepa. Aman said he asked Sah why he had made him do such a work and Sah had answered it was just a small job and had handed over Rs 150,000 to him and promised to send him abroad.

Aman spent Rs 40,000 on clothes and the remaining amount on his sister’s marriage. Senior advocates at the capital expressed surprise at the government attorney’s decision to not prosecute Sah even after getting such solid evidence.

“This explains why senior Maoist leaders have been defending Sah,” Yadu Khanal, President of Democratic Lawyers Association, said. “It was clearly intended to give clean chits to perpetrators,” he added.
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OUSTED CAN CHIEF SAYS HE WON’T CHALLENGE HIS SACK
FOR GREATER CAUSE OF CRICKET
Kathmandu, 26 Oct.: National Sports Council (NSC) today reformed the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) for not ‘obeying the instructions of the sports governing body, The Himalayan Times reports.

The NSC nominated Tanka Angbuhang as the president of the ad hoc committee which has been directed to amend the bylaws and hold elections within the next 60 days. Angbuhang, who hails from Taplejung, is the central committee member (CCM) of U-CPN Maoists and Secretary of Limbuwan State Council.

Angbuhang succeeds Binay Raj Pandey, who was nominated the CAN President on September 29, 2006. Pandey, who also served the association as General Secretary and Vice-presidents in previous committees, has spent more than four decades in the sport. He is also the vice-president of Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

“We did not dissolve CAN with our interest,” clarified NSC Member Secretary Yubaraj Lama. “We repeated asked them to hold elections, but they failed to do so because of the internal conflict leaving us no choice but to bring in new faces to hold elections,” said Lama, who himself is a Maoist appointee at the sports governing body.

“After the committee failed to meet two deadlines, we asked the ‘two parties within the body’ to reach the consensus but again they failed due to their own ego problems,” said Lama. “Apart from that, there was pressure from players, fans and the members of the existing committee to bring in new leadership,” he said.

Asked the reasons for drafting in party cadres just to hold elections, Lama said he wanted to play it safe. “As the two factions in the CAN were not ready to compromise, I had no option other than to bring a person who cannot be influenced by them,” he said. “It was not a necessity but I had to nominate a person whom I believe is capable of resolving the conflicts,” Lama said.

Lama also hoped the officials who were ousted from the committee would participate in the elections. “I know Binay Raj Pandey very well. He wants the development of cricket and he will help the new committee in that regard,” added Lama. “Before dissolving the body, we had a number of meetings and I also proposed him to be the patron of the committee,” he said.

The new 23-member committee consists of six vice-presidents in Ram Chandra Sharma, Tarani Bikram (TB) Shah, Chatur Bahadur Chand, Shriniwas SJB Rana, Keshan Ghimire and Sunil Man Amatya. Shah and Rana had served as the vice-presidents in previous committees.

Ashok Man Pyakurel has been named the General Secretary, while Thakur Prasad Pahadi is the secretary. Raju Babu Shrestha has been retained as the treasurer. Naresh Kumar Shrestha, Uttam Karmacharya, Rajesh KC, Chhatra Prasad Adhikari, Binod Kumar Mainali, Amit Bir Pandey, Bipan Ram Chaudhary, Shailesh Kumar Chaudhary, Anup Thapa, Basanta Raj Satyal, Prakash Chandra Ghimire, Ramesh Singh Dhami and Dhirendra Saud are the members.

Lama said the CAN reform would not affect the cricket events. Nepal is scheduled to participate in the SAARC U-25 Twenty20 Tournament slated for October 31 to November 7. Nepal also host the ACC Twenty20 Elite Cup in December. “It should not affect the tournaments as it is the players who take part in the tournament, the association’s role is just to facilitate it,” Lama added.

Lama also dismissed the possibility of parallel body existence. “The international bodies should not have problems with this reformation as this is not political appointments,” he said. “And I am sure that Pandey will not go against our decision and create problems like officials from other sports associations,” Lama added. Lama refuted claims that he bowed to pressure from his party. “The party has nothing to do with the decision,”Lama added.

CAN has been running under ad hoc committees since its establishment in 1950 under Jay Kumar Nath Shah, who was ousted by the NSC in September, 2006. The-then Member Secretary Jeevan Ram Shrestha had also directed the CAN to hold the elections.
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