OCTOGENARIAN NC LEADER MURDERED IN DANG Kathmandu, 24 Sept.: NC leader Him Lal Basnet,88, was killed by an group Saturday in Dang. The party condemned the murder of the octogenarian leader. nnnn SWEEPING TANSFER IN ARMY WITH LEADERSHIP CHANGE Kathmandu, 24 Sept The government plans to reshuffle the responsibility of dozens of senior army officers and transfer them according to the proposal presented by the Army Headquarter last week., Republica reports "Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Gaurav Shumsher Rana has proposed a list of officers to be transferred to various departments according to the requirement of the institution and capability of the officers as a preliminary step of reformation," an army officer said. According to the Dwarika Prasad Achrya, spokesperson of Ministry of Defense, the proposal has been submitted to the cabinet. "A long list of transfer has been submitted and a formal decision is possible during the next cabinet meeting." According to the Ministry of Defense, army headquarter has proposed transfer of eight major generals including five division commander, thirteen brigadier general and about three dozen lieutenant colonel. Commander of Far-Western Division Ramesh Bista is proposed for Staff College at Sivapuri army command, Mid-Western Division Commander Pradeep Bikram Rana is proposed for head of Master of General Ordinance, Western-Division Commander Victor Rana is proposed for a Welfare Planning Directorate´s head and Valley Division Commander Mahesh Karki is proposed for Action Department. MoD said that spokesperson of NA Ramindra Chhetri is proposed for Investigation Directorate. Brigadier General Suresh Raj Sharma is proposed for new spokesperson for Nepal Army. nnnn ________________________________________ SUSHIL KOIRALA OUT OF PM RACE AS NC CANDIDATE Kathmandu, 24 Sept.: Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala has decided to opt out of the race for prime minister from his party amid counter claims for the post by rivals Ram Chandra Paudel and Sher Bahadur Deuba, Republica reports. Sources close to Koirala said he had already conveyed this to both the leaders during a recent meeting. Though he has dropped out of the race, Koirala has not said anything on whom he might support in case NC got the opportunity to lead the new government. In recent party meetings, top leadership had come under growing pressure from Central Working Committee members to resolve conflicting claims on the party´s prime ministerial candidate after NC came under criticism over its inability to decide on the candidate. “Koirala is in favor of becoming the prime minister only if there was consensus both within and outside the party on his candidacy,” said a NC leader close to him, adding that Koirala won´t be in the fray in case there is majority-based government. With Koirala´s decision, internal struggle between Paudel and Deuba faction are likely to increase. While party vice president Paudel, who was the erstwhile parliamentary leader, claims that he is the rightful candidate, Deuba has maintained that he should get to lead the new government as he is left without any role in the party. It may be recalled that the two sides had reached an understanding to support Deuba´s candidacy for the national consensus government and Paudel´s candidacy for majority-based government when the CA was still functioning. “If there is a chance for the NC to lead a new government, it will be either Paudel or Deuba, but not Koirala now.” the leader said. nnnn DEEP POLARIZATION DESPITE AGREEMENT AMONGST BIG FOUR TO OPT FOR SNAP ELECTIONS Kathmandu, 24 Sept.: Although the four major political forces on September 19 decided to go for fresh Constituent Assembly elections by settling some knotty issues, ironically the parties are heading towards polarization, Prakash Acharya writes in The .Himalayan Times With the ruling coalition Unified CPN-Maoist and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) deciding to intensify their tie by organising joint mass meetings in five areas across the nation yesterday, the opposition parties have also decided to come together to make their voice stronger. Party leaders admit that the claim on government leadership from UCPN-M and opposition parties was the main cause of rising polarisation. The opposition parties including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist led by Mohan Baidhya, and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal led by Upendra Yadav decided to hold a separate meeting at 2 pm tomorrow at NC headquarters in Sanepa. A meeting between Congress President Sushil Koirala and CPN-Maoist leader Baidhya held yesterday had made an understanding to launch a joint movement if the ruling parties remained adamant to settle the things within next few days. “As the coalition partners do not seem to step down easily and have decided to launch a joint campaign by sidelining other parties, we the opposition parties don’t have any other option than to come together and tackle the unfolding events accordingly,” said Congress spokesperson Dilendra Prasad Badu. The meeting would devise a strategy on how to make the oppositions’ voice stronger, he said. Moreover, the meeting would discuss the issues about making all the parties, who represented the dissolved Constituent Assembly, participate in the process of national consensus, Badu said. UML leader Bhim Rawal said, “The ruling partners seem to have used the talks as a tactic to prolong their stay in the government or not to give up the power easily. So the consensus on the unsettled issues is unlikely very soon. As the coalition partners have decided to launch joint campaign, it clearly shows that they are not keen to go for fresh CA polls straightforwardly.” Four major political forces, on September 18, discussed the number of federal units on if they could promulgate the new constitution by reviving the Constituent Assembly. After they failed to reach a consensus on the number, on September 19, they decided to go for fresh polls but left the contentious issues – date of the fresh polls, way of amending the interim constitution to clear the way for polls and formation of the national consensus government – undecided. Another four party meeting held on Friday made an understanding to find a consensus on the three issues in a package deal. The meeting had concluded to discuss the issues today. The meeting, however, was postponed for Tuesday. However, the four party meeting could not be held today as UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed his inability to participate in the meeting due to his illness and his prior appointments and CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal left for three-day long India visit yesterday. The meeting is likely to be held on Tuesday according to sources. Nnnn DOZEN UML DISSIDENTS TO ANNOUNCE SPLIT 4 OCT. Kathmandu, 24 Sept.: Around a dozen CPN-UML central leaders, including Vice-chairman Ashok Rai, are all set to announce their departure from the mother party on October 4 to “get free from the yoke of political slavery”, The Himalayan Times reports. The disgruntled leaders also said they will announce formation of a new political outfit before Dashain festival. The Ashok Rai-led faction has already prepared an ad-hoc statute, organisational structure and political programme. The group is expected to form a new outfit called Federal Socialist Party (FSP). Rai is all set to lead FSP, according to Ajambar Kangbang, a UML central leader. Kangbang confirmed that they would formally sever ties with the mother party on October 4 at a function to be held in the capital. He said about a dozen central leaders, district committee members, party cadres and sympathisers would attend the programme and quit the party. “We will announce on October 4 that we are no longer with the UML,” Kangbang said, adding that a new political force would be launched before Dashain. He said October 4 would be the “day of emancipation from political slavery”. He also said they were in constant touch with an intellectual group, led by Chaitanya Subba, which has proposed a political outfit called Social Democratic Pluri-national Party. “We have already settled so many issues including the party’s statute, manifesto, and political programme,” Kangbang said, adding, “Only a few minor issues are to be sorted out.” He said that Rai, Bijaya Subba, Bir Bahadur Lama, Rakam Chemjong, Rajendra Shrestha and he himself were geared up to form the new party. Other dissident leaders such as Prithvi Subba Gurung, Kiran Gurung and Dal Bahadur Rana Magar are still stressing the need to continue intra-party struggle on the issue of federalism. The dissident leaders were particularly dissatisfied with the UML leadership over federalism. They have been saying that the party should embrace the idea of carving out federal units on a single-ethnicity line while the party leadership is opposed to it. Although Kangbang claimed that UML politburo member Ramchandra Jha is also in favour of forming a new political force, Jha himself said he was “undecided” regarding his course of action. “I am still undecided on forming new party,” Jha said, “I will not take any decision until the current political stalemate is settled.” He also said he was not active in the party, either. nnnn