PRESIDENT DISCUSSES BUDGET WITH ECONOMISTS Kathmandu, 12 June: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav has held discussions with economists on the issue of new budget that the government is going to bring through ordinance, RSS reports. The President held discussion with the economists today at the Office of the President. During the meeting, economists said that an interim budget could be brought on political consensus as per the direction of the Election Commission. Economist Prof Dr Bishwombher Pyakurel said during the meeting with the President all economists opined to bring the budget based on political consensus as the budget was not only the division of means and resources, but a political document as well. Pyakurel said that they suggested that a complete budget could not be brought this time though timely budget was necessary for different social works, salaries of the employees and interests on foreign loans. Pyakurel said that the present situation is not favorable for bringing the budget of Rs 429 billion size as political and economic situations are not normal at present. nnnn JANAMORCHA ACCOUNCES ANTI-GOVT. STIR Kathmandu, 12 June: The Rastriya Janamorcha, Nepal, has announced fresh protest programmes demanding formation of a national unity government, elections to the Constituent Assembly (CA), scrap of federalism and ethnic and regional Goodwill, RSS reports. The party is scheduled to organize mass meetings across the country from the beginning of July, said party chairman Chitra Bahadur KC organizing a press conference today in the capital. KC said intra-party rifts, Maoist party's backtrack from the five-point agreement and major political parties' power hungry nature were to blame for the CA dissolution. Saying the government was caretaker constitutionally and politically as well, KC reasoned that this government has no rights to hold CA elections. Issuing a press statement, the party has said that political consensus was a must for holding elections and legal hurdles should be ended by the President based on political consensus among the political parties. The party has reiterated that federalism was inappropriate for the country as the country was as risk of ethnic and regional clashes. RSS nnnn NC. UML LEADERS REPEAT CHARGES AGAINST MAOISTS Kathmandu, 12 June:: Leaders of the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML have said it was sheer irresponsibility and unconstitutionality on the part of the government to ready budget through ordinance, RSS reports. The government which has lost its constitutional and moral grounds after the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly could not bring budget through ordinance, they underscored. At an interaction organized in the capital on Tuesday, Nepali Congress leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said the Prime Minister must step down to pave way for national consensus government. The government was imposing authoritarianism by making country bankrupt, he blamed, adding that the President should not accept the government decision to bring budget through ordinance. Similarly, CPN-UML leader Bhim Rawal said main elements to dissolve CA are the UCPN-Maoist, and the United Democratic Madhesi Front. It was unconstitutional to bring budget through ordinance, he added. He urged Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai to resign from the post immediately. Moreover, leader Rawal said the President could not nod the budget ordinance. It is the Maoist's maneuver to stick to power in the name of ordinance, he accused. RSS Nnnn PARTY LEADERS DISCUSS WHY CA DIDN’T DELIVER Kathmandu, 12 June: Leaders of various political parties have said the Constituent Assembly (CA) was dissolved without promulgating the new constitution due to the major political parties' power hungry political nature, RSS reports. Speaking at the talk programme organised by Martin Chautari in the capital today, politburo member of the UCPN (Maoist) Lokendra Bista Magar said that promulgating the constitution within May 27 was not made possible as the major political parties centered their activities for government change than writing constitution. Bistamagar, who was also the President of the Committee on State Restructuring of the CA said senior leaders of the political parties never turned up in the meeting of the CA committee though the committee invited them to attend the meeting. Similarly, leader CPN (UML) Rabindra Adhikari claimed that the UCPN-Maoist raised the issue of federalising the country based on ethnicity to use various ethnic groups as a vote bank. Leader Adhikari expressed his dissatisfaction about the role of CA Chairman Subash Nembang and said at least the nation would get the first draft of the constitution if Nembang had changed his working style. Likewise, NC leader Gagan Thapa accused Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai saying that though UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal had proposed for CA term extension by declaring the state of emergency Dr. Bhattarai was not ready to meet Nepal. Chairperson of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party Sarita Giri claimed that promulgating the constitution on May 27 was not possible as the major political parties continued the bargains for power until the last hour of the CA term. nnnn