BHATTARAI GOVT. COMPLETES 100 DAYS IN OFFICE

BHATTARAI GOVT. COMPLETES 100 DAYS IN OFFICE
Kathmandu, 6 Dec.: The coalition government of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai completed 100 days in office Tuesday amid calls by
the opposition for a government change demanding its replacement by a national government.
Main opposition NC has laid a claim to such a government opposed by UCPN (Maoist) leading the administration with six Madeshbadi parties.
Bhattarai says he’ll lead a government of national to complete the pace process and constitution drafting.
The prime minister has assembled the biggest government in
Nepal’s history outsmarting Sher Bahadur Deuba who initiated
what has been called a “Pajero culture” to buy support of lawmakers to cling on to power.
Bhattarai, who is second vice-chairman of UCPN (Maoist) formed a large government to collect support of Maoist legislators when’s he’sbeing challenged by a hard-line faction of First Vice-chairman Mohan
Baidya opposed to the integration of 19,000 former Maoist combatants in state security agencies without the completion of the process.
Amid opposition from the Baidya group, Bhattarai government
is encountering difficulties in fulfilling promises to the opposition to return seized assets and integrate former PLA fighters.
To counter the rebel group, Bhattarai and Chairman Prachanda
convened a meeting of 38 politburo members Sunday night to negate moves by Baidya whose group wasn’t called at the meeting at the
prime minister’s official residence.
Baidya also said Monday the bilateral investment agreement to protest and promote investments between Nepal and India will be overturned at both the party central committee and parliament.
The Bhattarai government terms the agreement signed in
October when the premier visited India as a milestone to
promote bilateral trade as an important achievement of the government.
Critics in the party charge for being an Indian government
lackey
The Bhattarai government has earned infamy by asking President DR. Ram Baran Yadav to amnesty a Maoist lawmaker convicted for murder of a civilian during a 10-year insurgency.
The premier has attempted to collect popular support by riding a cheaper Nepal assembled and establish bodies to address concerns and
Complaints if people.
He was started a drive to widen roads in the capital to resolve the problem of traffic jams.
His party is divided and Bhattarai at the end of the day will have
to show results to ensure a place is society.
He’s already encountering difficulties.
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DPM GACHCHHAR STRESSES GAINS OF 4-POINT AGREEMENT

Kathmandu, 6 Dec : Following demands to inform them about progress made on Madhesi issues incorporated in the four-point agreement reached between the UCPN (Maoist) and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), Chairman of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar tried to convince lawmakers from the party that the Madhesi agenda was in the process of
being addressed, Gani Assari writes in Republica.

At a meeting of the MPRF-D parliamentary party held in Singha Durbar on Monday, Gachchhadar, who is also deputy prime minister and home minister, said that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), the Defense Ministry and Law Ministry have already taken initiatives to implement the Madhesi issues related to those ministries.

“The Inclusion Bill has been forwarded to the Law Ministry for incorporating necessary suggestions; MoHA has been searching for the documents with a view to withdrawing cases filed against leaders and cadres of Madhes-based political parties and the Defense Ministry has been holding discussions with the Nepal Army (NA) to begin the process of recruiting Madhesi youths,” lawmaker Sarbadev Prasad Jha quoted Gachchhadar as saying at the meeting.

Gachchhadar also said that his ministry has been moving ahead to address problems regarding citizenship across the Tarai.

Another MPRF-D lawmaker, Nilam Burma, said that Gachchhadar asked lawmakers to provide a week more for concrete progress over the four-point agreement.

“I will show some concrete progress on Madhesi issues within a week,” Burma quoted Gachchhadar as saying at the meeting called by the party leadership as demanded by lawmakers since a long time.

At the meeting, lawmakers put forth their view that the UDMF must not fool the people, saying the Madhesi alliance has made progress on Madhesi issues.

“We demanded that our leadership update us every two weeks about progress made on the Madhesi issues; let´s not talk nonsense,” Jha told Republica.

Gachchhadar also said that the party will take further initiatives to exert pressure on the government to address Madhesi issues after a meeting of the Madhesi alliance.

A two-day meeting of UDMF is scheduled starting Thursday to review progress made under the four-point agreement.

Responding to queries of party lawmakers regarding the ultimatum of MPRF-R, a constituent party of UDMF, to implement the remaining issues of the four-point agreement, Gachchhadar said it was useless to issue an ultimatum as major political parties have already agreed to conclude the deal by mid-December.

Senior leader Sarat Singh Bhandari, who is unhappy with the party´s performance in the government, was absent from the meeting. Bhandari could not be reached when Republica tried to contact him regarding his absence. However, Burma said that Bhandari could not attend as he
was out of the capital.
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