SUPREME COURT VERDICT ON PM, SPEAKER REQUEST TO APEX COURT REQUEST WEDNESDAY TO RECONSIDER DECISION
Kathmandi 28 March: Supreme court is scheduled Wednesday to issue its ruling on separate requests of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Speaker Subash
Nemwang to reconsider its November 2011 ruling the present tenure of the
constituent assembly (CA) that ends 27 May will be the last.
The premier and the speaker asked for a review turned down by the apex court registrar.
The chiefs of the government and legislature have challenged the registrar action and sought a review of the ruling.
Prime Minister Bhattarai first criticized the November 2011 apex court ruling against a CA tenure extension after the end of May but now says the assembly tenure shouldn’t be extended.
Bhattarai said he was misquoted and now insists a constitution should be proclaimed by 28 May.
The government chief even said after assuming months ago six months were inadequate to complete a basic law.
The premier now say he’s was only trying to establish the supreme court derred in
its November 2011 verdict by saying the present tenure of CA can’t be extended further The supreme court verdict Wednesday is awaited at a time of political uncertainty created by differences in major parties to finalize a draft of a constitution amid threats by the premier more than 50,000 will be killed in a new round of war if a basic law ins’t enacted by May.
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MMC, NPC PLAY IN 1ST SEMI-FINAL OF 14TH BUDDASUBBA GOLD CUP
FINALIN DHARAN WEDNESDAY
Kathmandu, 28 March: Mnang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) meets Nepal Police Club (NPC) Wednesday’s first semi-final of the 14th Budhasubba Gold Cup Final in Dharan Wednesday..
NPC is national league champion.
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PREPARE TO ENCIRCLE CITIES FORMER MAOIST GUERRILLA AND NOW TOP LEADER INSTRCTS
Kathmandu, 28 March : The Maoist radical faction on Tuesday told party cadres to remain prepared to encircle the major cities for an urban insurrection if the country doesn´t see the promulgation of a "pro-people constitution.", Post B. Basnet writes in Republica.
Maoist General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa, a key leader from the party´s radical faction, issued the directive during a closed-door session held at Nayabazaar, Kathmandu, to train cadres from the faction.
"We may have to jump into action around May 28 [the constitution drafting deadline]. The immediate circumstances will dictate whether such an insurrection will be armed or unarmed," a participant quoted Thapa as telling the cadres.
Members of the Maoist Newa State Committee and District Committee had participated in the program.
"We had the NC and UML as our enemies when we began the war in 1996. Now another UML [party establishment] has been born. And we have enough strength to fight it," another participant quoted Thapa, who switched over to the hardline faction a few months ago, as saying.
According to party leaders, the Maoist general secretary stated that he was well aware of the "political tricks" being played by Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal and that his faction would not reconcile with Dahal without the party first coming onto the revolutionary track. "Otherwise they will go their own way and we ours," a member quoted Thapa as saying.
Thapa had pointed out the need to formally part ways with the party establishment if the latter slid further into revisionism.
Similarly, Netra Bikram Chand, another hardliner, argued that the only way to keep the party unity intact was through the method of unity-struggle-transformation. "Party unity cannot be achieved simply through negotiations or mediation," a participant quoted Thapa as saying further.
He said the entire party should share the same programs and the same political ideology if there is to be political unity. "I advise them [party establishment] to implement the decisions of the previous central committee (CC) meeting and hold another CC meeting to formulate a common political program and arrive at the same opinions, if party unity is to be achieved," a cadre quoted Chand as telling the cadres.
He had accused Dahal of violating the party statute by terming his faction´s meeting as a CC meeting.
He also told the cadres that the door for dialogue with the party establishment was still open.
Party leaders CP Gajurel and Dev Gurung were also present on the occasion.
The hardline faction led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya has decided to mobilize groups of 200 senior cadres in each of the 240 electoral constituencies of the country.
Similarly, as per the decision, the cadres will launch an exposure campaign against the corrupt, smugglers and goons across the country.
The faction has decided to launch a campaign for the type of constitution it wants and collect signatures to that end.
Meanwhile, the CC meeting called by the party establishment has been postponed in a "bid to accommodate the Baidya faction". Leaders from the party establishment said they are holding talks with Baidya and Thapa to persuade them to participate in the CC meeting, which the latter have threatened to boycott unless Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai steps down and Dahal agrees to work out a program of mass mobilization for a "pro-people" constitution.
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MPRF-R IN TROUBLE
AFTER GUPTA CONVICTION
Kathmandu, 28 March : The Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Republican has seemingly gotten into trouble after the party Chairman JP Gupta was sent to jail on the charge of corruption, Gani Ansari writes in. Republica.
A day after the party recommended the prime minister to sack agriculture minister Nandan Kumar Dutta, the party on Tuesday unanimously elected a new parliamentary party leader.
Lawmakers close to the party establishment faction elected acting party Chairman Raj Kishor Yadav as the successor of JP Gupta, keeping Dutta and lawmaker Raj Lal Yadav, who is also the parliamentary party´s secretary, in the dark, further widening the conflict in the party.
“Our acting chairman was elected parliamentary party leader as no other party lawmaker staked claim for the post,” MPRF-R General Secretary Atmaram Sah told Republica.
Party Chairman Yadav said they have formally informed CA Chairman about the party´s new parliamentary party leader Tuesday evening.
“No one informed me and Rajlal Yadav about the party´s decision to elect a new parliamentary party leader,” added Dutta.
Sah, however, said that a notice regarding the election had been pasted at the parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar asking interested party leaders to file their candidacies.
Party lawmaker Sabita Yadav proposed Acting chair Yadav for the post of parliamentary party leader while BP Yadav seconded her.
When asked if they would accept the new parliamentary party leader, Rajlal Yadav said, “We can do nothing other than to accept Raj Kishor Yadav as the new parliamentary party leader as the acting chairman commands support of the majority.”
According to Sah, the parliamentary party has authorized the acting chairman to pick new ministers from the party.
“I will hold a discussion in the party and take decision regarding new ministers from the party within two/three days,” acting chair Yadav told Republica.
Meanwhile, Dutta has expressed displeasure over the party´s recommendation to sack him. “I was not given a chance to defend myself,” Dutta said.
He stated that neither his party nor the prime minister informed him about their decision to sack him.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai sacked Dutta on Monday acting on the recommendation of MPRF-R leadership.
“I called up the prime minister and asked him why I was sacked,” said Dutta adding, “He told me that he took the decision under pressure and told me to meet him Tuesday morning.”
Dutta said he would formally resign if the prime minister asks him to do so.
“I am just unhappy about the way I was sacked,” stated Dutta adding, “It proves that the prime minister takes unethical decisions to remain in power.” He opined that the prime minister does not want to irk leadership of Madhesi parties fearing withdrawal of their support to the government.
Dutta claimed he has been receiving threats not to make any public statement regarding the latest development.
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SRC REPORT UNDER FIRE IN CA
Kathmandu, 28 March: A majority of Constituent Assembly members who took part in today’s discussions on the reports of State Restructuring Commission said that the commission had carved out the federal units haphazardly without caring for the geographical and administrative convenience of the people, The Himalayan Times reports.
Stating that the SRC report has divided the territory of many districts and even ward numbers of villages creating more inconvenience to the people of the concerned areas, they said such kind of delineation would never be acceptable for them.
On the second-day deliberation today, the lawmakers urged that the districts and wards must not be divided while carving out the federal units as it would create inconvenience to the people to approach to the headquarters of their federal units.
CA members of three major political parties opposed the SRC report’s recommendation, which suggested Chitwan district, dividing into four federal units.
Unified CPN-Maoist lawmaker Amik Serchan said that the report of CA thematic Committee on State Restructuring and Distribution of State Power was more appropriate than the SRC report.
Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat said that the delineation of the federal units was being made randomly as many districts and even wards of villages had been divided in different federal units.
The report has blatantly ignored the administrative and geographic convenience of the people and focused its concentration on arranging the few castes’ interest while carving out the federal units.
Since the federal system is very costly, the proposed number – 10 federal units and one non-territorial unit for Dalits – is high as far as Nepal’s capacity is concerned, he said.
CPN-UML’s Bhim Rawal opposed the SRC’s proposal for keeping the local bodies under the purview of federal units. “It is against the principle of making the local bodies independent and powerful,” he said.
Rawal accused the report of carving the units was done with mala fide intention. He said that the caste-based federalism would not be appropriate and it would not be acceptable too.
Minister for Law and Justice and Tarai Madhes Democratic Party leader Brijesh Kumar Gupta expressed his dissatisfaction over the carving out of the federal units without caring administrative continence of the people.
Almost all speakers opposed the non-territorial federal unit for Dalits saying it was meaningless. The discussion will continue tomorrow.
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RUBBER, PLASTIC TOP REENUE SOURCES
Kathmandu, 28 March: The government has earned the highest customs revenue on rubber, plastic, slippers and shoes, and readymade garments in the first eight months of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period last fiscal year, The
Himalayan Times reports.
The customs revenue from rubber, plastic, slippers and shoes, and readymade garments increased by 718.32 per cent and 355.89 per cent, according to finance secretary Krishna Hari Baskota.
However, the government lost the most revenue on electric conductor and sugar among the 10 highest revenue losers, he said, adding that their revenue decreased by 71.47 per cent and 60.58 per cent respectively.
Similarly, the government lost some 54.66 per cent customs revenue on minibus imports, some 54.37 per cent revenue from
bus and truck chassis imports and 50.55 per cent revenue from truck and mini truck imports, he added.
Not surprisingly, cooking gas, petrol and High Speed Diesel (HSD) also features among the high revenue payers.
Though the revenue from cooking gas has increased by 33 per cent, HSD by 21 per cent
and petrol by 15 per cent in
the first eight months of the current fiscal year against the same period last fiscal year, today’s price hike will contribute more to the government coffers through the sale of petrol as the state oil monopoly has increased the price
of petrol by Rs 4 per litre.
On average, the government has earned some 39 per cent more revenue from the top 10 products at customs as compared to an increase of 35 per cent in the eight months of the last fiscal year, the finance secretary said, adding that the decrease was recorded at 20.29 per cent from the top 10 revenue losers in the eight months of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period of last fiscal year.
The ministry is tightening all the loop holes to increase customs revenue, said Baskota, adding that vigilance at the customs has increased and a 24-hour control room has been set up to curb leakages at customs points.
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SLOGAN LUMBINI THEBRTHPLACE OF LORD BUDDHA WILL BE PRINTED IN NEW RS.100 CURRENCY NOTES
Kathmandu, 28 May: A slogan: Lumbini: Birthplace of Lord Buiddha will be printed in new Rs 100 deniminations being issued by Nepal Rashtra Bank, Naya Patrika reports.
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