TRANSPORT STRIKE INCONVENIENCES PEOPLE Kathmandu, 10 Aug.: Transport entrepreneurs and workers went on an indefinite strike Friday to press demands. Talks overnight between government and from transport entrepreneurs failed. Minister Hridesh Tripathi led the government team. The strike has affected inconvenienced people as movement of vehicles came to a halt. Nnnn 21 PARTIES ANNOUNCE FEDERAL DEMOCTRATIC ALLIANCE. Kathmandu, 10 Aug.: The ruling UCPN (Maoist) and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) as well as other political parties have decided to form an alliance of pro identity-based federalist forces, Republica reports.. A meeting of top leaders of 21 parties held at the prime minister´s residence at Baluwatar on Thursday evening decided to announce formation of the Federal Democratic Alliance (FDA) on Sunday. "The manifesto, structure and code of conduct of the alliance will be announced following a meeting on Sunday," said leader of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) Jitendra Dev. General Secretary of Tarai Madhes Democratic Party-Nepal (TMDP-N) Dan Bahadur Chaudhari said the constituent parties would hold their respective internal discussions on the policies and programs of the proposed alliance before Sunday. "The constituent parties will come up with their feedback on the policies and programs at Sunday´s meeting," added Chaudhari. "The meeting concluded that pro-federalist forces must move ahead standing together as it is essential to institutionalize state restructuring with secularism, republicanism and federalism as per the spirit and demand of the people´s war, the Jana Aandolan, the Madhes movement and the Indigenous, Dalit, women´s and Muslim movement," reads the press note issued by the prime minister´s office after the meeting. According to Chaudhari, the meeting stressed the need for promulgating a new constitution through the Constituent Assembly (CA) and for federalism with identity and a constitution with federalism. "There are two options for this: either go for new CA elections or revive the CA to promulgate a new constitution after resolving the issues of federalism," he stated, adding that parliamentary elections should be conducted after that. Explaining the need for the formation of the alliance, MPRF-D´s Dev said it was essential to form an alliance of pro identity-based federalist forces to safeguard federalism as anti-federalist forces had been assaulting it. Chaudhari claimed that the country will find a way out of the current political impasse after the formation of the FDA. "We concluded that the anti-identity based federalist forces will be compelled to arrive at consensus as the majority of parties support identity-based federalism," he maintained. UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, among other leaders, were present at the meeting. Nnnn ________________________________________ RELUCTANCE OF PRESIDENT KOIRALA TO NAME PM CANDIDATE DRAWS DISSATISFACTION IN NC Kathmandu, 10 Aug : The ´failure´ of the Nepali Congress (NC) to pick the party´s prime ministerial candidate for consensus government has not only invited ire from the top CPN-UML leaders, but has also brewed discontent within the party, Kosh Raj Koirala writes iin Republica.. Multiple sources confirmed that Ram Chandra Paudel, who has been close confidant of the party President Sushil Koirala, is miffed at the Koirala´s reluctance to openly support his candidacy for the prime ministerial berth. Koirala has been maintaining that the party´s Central Working Committee (CWC) would pick the candidate at an “opportune time”. Paudel has been arguing that the party president should support his candidacy for the prime ministerial berth as he had fully supported Koirala in the race for party´s top post. “Koirala´s reluctance to support Poudel´s candidacy has brewed discontent in the party,” confirmed a leader close to Paudel on condition of anonymity. Koirala has lately hinted that he is ready to run for the post of prime minister. This has left Paudel disappointed. Party insiders say Koirala has refrained from naming the party´s prime ministerial candidate as Sher Bahadur Deuba has also been staking claim to the post. Koirala is believed to have deferred the decision so as to prevent any chances of difference with the Deuba faction. Deuba faction has claimed that there had been understanding in the party to file Paudel´s candidacy if the party was to form a majority government and Deuba´s candidacy for a national consensus government. Amid criticisms from UML leaders KP Sharma Oli and Ishwor Pokharel, NC leaders during their meeting with UML leaders on July 25 had convinced them that it was not the right time to name prime ministerial candidate. But the UML leaders have continued insisting NC to pick the prime ministerial candidate. NC leaders have construed this persistence to be a ploy to create an intra-party conflict in NC. "We had agreed not to pick the prime ministerial candidate until the right time comes. I am surprised why the UML leaders continue to insist our party to pick a prime ministerial candidate," said NC senior leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat. nnnn