PM SAYS FULL BUDGET COMING Kathmandu, 19 Nov.: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said that the government would bring full budget at any cost by considering the needs of the country and people, RSS reports.. The opposition political parties' exercise to make an issue of political sharing for the budget was against the interest of the people and country, the prime minister said. "The government will unveil the budget in view of national needs. Preparations to this end are underway. The irresponsible act of the opponents is totally against the national interests," Dr Bhattarai added. Receiving a memorandum presented by Revolutionary Journalists' Association central working committee on Monday, the Prime Minister said, "If somebody is thinking of meeting one's petty interests by troubling the government after stopping the budget then that is a totally wrong idea and such practice will not benefit people in any way." Politicising the budget is a dreadful practice and the opposition parties have not seen anything except government and power, the Prime Minister claimed. Dr Bhattarai said that the opposition political parties were construing the government's flexibility as its weaknesses though the government would accept the agreement made by the political parties for ending the deadlock. The Prime Minister also said that at a meeting of three major political parties and Madhesi Morcha the President has vowed not to go beyond from constitutional boundary. He said there was no relevance of rumours spread regarding the presidential coup. "There is no meaning of such rumours. There is no sense of wasting time by following such rumours," the PM told the journalists. The PM further said that there was no reality on the publicity that President has given a deadline of November 22 for political parties to forge a consensus and added that the President has said that he would take no step sans political consensus. On the occasion, the PM urged the journalists to play crucial role to institutionalise the achievements of the People's War and People's Movement adding that merely government can do nothing to that end. Republic, federalism, secularism, inclusion and others are some crucial achievements of the people's war and people's movement achieved by heavy struggle and establishing them firmly is our responsibility, the PM said. The PM further said that he was committed to implementing the Working Journalists' Act in practice. PM Bhattarai also said that the government was preparing to do something in memory of martyr Krishna Sen Ichchhuk, a journalist killed by the state security force during the people's war. The PM said that the government was thinking to run Gorkhapatra Corporation and Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) under the concept of cooperatives. PM Bhattarai said that he was not in favor of privatisation of the two bodies like the concept of previous governments. Radio Nepal and Nepal Television should be made more professional, decent and pro-people and the government was also thinking to that end, he added. On the occasion, the Association presented a 28-point memorandum to Dr Bhattarai. The demands include taking stern action against those involved in killing of senior journalist Ichchhuk, making public the whereabouts of forced disappearance of journalists Milan Nepali, Chitra Narayan Shrestha, Rajendra Dhakal and others. Some 60 journalists including Coordinator of the Association Govinda Acharya, Advisor to the Association and Executive Chairman of RSS Komal Nath Baral and General Secretary of Federation of Nepali Journalists Om Sharma, among others were present on the occasion. Nnnn UML CHIEF SAYS MAOISTS AFRAID OF ELECTIONA Kathmandu, 19 Nov.: Chairman of the CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal has said that the ruling UCPN-Maoist was afraid to face elections while addressing a programme to mourn the 13th day of the passing of party leader Dilli Mahat at the party Office, on Monday, RSS reports Monday. Chairman Khanal said although the political parties have agreed to go for election, UCPN-Maoist was creating obstruction. "Parties have agreed for new election but the Maoists have created uncertainty as they fear election," he said, asserting that the political consensus would elude the scene if Dr Baburam Bhattarai sticks to the prime minister's post. According to him, environment for consensus would be created after PM Bhattarai resigns. He lauded the role of leader Mahat in the party, saying the party needs to internalise his contribution. nnnn