CA REVIVAL WILL COMPLICATE ISSUES SAYS MADHAV KUMAR NEPAL Kathmandu, 25 June: Senior leader of the CPN-UML and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has ruled out the possibility of the revival of the Constituent Assembly as it will create practical difficulties, The Rising Nepal reports.. CA’s revival will only further complicate the political difficulties at a time when political parties are splitting, Nepal said speaking at an interaction organized by Nepal Intellectual Council in the capital on Sunday. A consensus government that replaces the current caretaker government will be able to sort out the problems of the country, Nepal said and added that the President should take initiative to resolve the crisis. There should be efforts to form a consensus government by invoking Article 43 and 38 (1) of the interim constitution, Nepal said. The decision of the UCPN-Maoist, support of the Madheshi front and the step taken by the government are behind the current constitutional crisis, Nepal said. "The government shut the door of agreement. So, it is the government that should open it," he added. Out of four years spent to draft constitution, three years and nine months were used to deal with the issue of peace process, he said. Nepal thanked Baidhya faction of the Maoists, saying, if Baidhya had not created trouble, Prachanda would not have hand over the weapons to Nepal Army. UML leader Nepal predicted a dangerous situation ahead because the arms hidden in the countryside are now in the hands of the Baidhya group. Nepal criticized the role of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) in the peace process of Nepal. The peace process would have moved faster without UNMIN, he said. "UNMIN turned its blind eye towards illegal activities of the Maoist combatants," Nepal alleged and added that the Maoists amassed the money of the state on the pretext of combatant management. (Note: Nepal never raised these issues when he was prime minister and is responsible for dereliction of duty, if the charges are true. He was aware of the situation both as government leader and leader of the opposition and never did anything recover the hidden weapons by raising the issue at meetings of concerned bodies.) nnnn CHAIRMAN KHANAL URGES CONSENSUS FOR BUDGET Kathmandu, 25 June:: CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal Sunday said the new budget of the fiscal year 2069/070 could be introduced only after all political parties reached a consensus. He said that Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai should vacate Baluwatar at the earliest to create an environment of political consensus, The Rising Nepal reports. During a meeting with the team of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce led by its chairman Suresh Kumar Basnet, former PM Khanal said that his party would not accept a full budget introduced by the caretaker government. He told the business community that the budget should be introduced by forging national consensus and the business sector had a big role in bringing the political parties together. "The private sector will have a great role to implement the budget" he said. The chamber delegation urged Khanal to bring the full budget for the new fiscal year. After the meeting, chamber chairman Basnet said they stressed full budget to move forward the development and the economic activities. Meanwhile in Damak, Nepali Congress general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula Sunday said that the Constituent Assembly election announced by the government could not be held at any cost. Talking with the party cadres in Birtamod, Jhapa, Sitaula said that even UCPN-Maoist was not in favour of holding the elections. Accusing the UCPN-Maoist and the Madhesi Front of dissolving the Constituent Assembly with an ill intention of lengthening their stay in power, Sitaula claimed that the announcement of the election was only a drama staged by the ruling parties. He also said that the present government had no constitutional and legal authority to hold the elections. Stating that there was no alternative to consensus among the parties to resolve the current deadlock, Sitaula urged the political parties to be more serious about the country and the people than the parties and the vote banks. Meanwhile, UCPN-Maoist politburo member and former Minister Bhim Prasad Gautam said that the solution to the current complicated political situation should be sought through consensus. Handing over cash help to the Federation of Nepali Journalist Kaski for it’s under construction office in Pokhara, Gautam revealed that the parties were exercising to form a government led by Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala. He also urged the parties to be aware about the regressive forces which were trying to cash in on the split in the UCPN-Maoist. Gautam handed over Rs. 50,000 to FNJ Kaski chairman Badri Binod Prateek. nnnn