CONTOVERSIAL MAOIST PLENUM SCHEDULED TO END SATURDAY Kathmandu, 21 July: The last day’s session of a Maoist plenum in the capital being held after18months concludes Saturday with Chairman Prachanda, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Vice-chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kazi Shrestha attempting to address points raised at the meeting. The conclave exposed fissures and differences between top leadership in the largest party ruling leading the current government in coalition with Madeshbadi parties. Differences also came out in the open showing widespread dissatisfaction of former PLA fighters now at PLA camps in seven cantonments still awaiting integration in Nepal Army is six years. The former Maoist combatants forced the formation of two commissions to look into demands to probe the lifestyle of leaders of the ‘proletariat’ and investigate whathas been described as widespread financial irregularities in the management in cantonments without transparency, The meetings were stalled twice in two days. On the second day Friday, fisticuff broke out between supporters of Chairman Prachanda and PM Bhattarai with the government chief’s supporters claiming they weren’t allowed to speak at the meeting. ‘There’s no alternative to unity, “PM aide Devendra Paudel said after the scuffle even as the party has already split. Shrestha, who is vice-chairman and foreign minister and leads his own group called Bhattarai an ‘anti-national’ for his perceived close ties with India.n theparty, nnnn