PM DENIES PARTY SPLIT Kathmandu, 8 July: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said that intra-party disputes in his party UCPN- Maoist would not affect the party, RSS reports. Talking to journalists at Thathali in Bhaktapur on Saturday night, he expressed hope that growing rift within the party would be settled soon. Dr Bhattarai was here in connection with the PM's 'One Night with the people Programme'. "Some friends dissatisfied with the party leadership have exited from the party and I am hopeful of their return soon with the realization of the present situation", he said, and added that he was not ready to accept that the UCPN (Maoist) was split. Marxism is a science and it is not practical to try to apply it in letter and spirit, he said, underlining the need of institutionalizing the achievements of people's war and people's movement. The party leadership has been making maximum efforts to take the party forward in unison, he said, and added that current political crisis in the country would get an end on the basis of political consensus. All the problems in the country would be resolved through the elections to the Constituent Assembly (CA) announced by the government for November 22 , said the prime minister, adding that CA was not dissolved just because of the government or the UCPN ( Maoist), instead it was automatically dissolved for failing to promulgate the constitution within the deadline. Though the government and the UCPN (Maoist) wanted economic prosperity in the country with the timely promulgation of the constitution through the CA, it was not possible due to misunderstandings among the parties, said Dr Bhattarai. Stating that the government would bring a full- fledged budget for economic prosperity in the country, the Prime Minister said that partial or one- third budget lacks effectiveness. nnnn