POLICE PROMOTIONS Kathmandu, 19 Dec.: Government Wednesday five SSPs to the post of deputy inspector general (DIG). Shyam Bahadur Khadka, Nawaraj Silwal, Prakash Aryal, Jaya Bahadur Chand and Bam Bahadur Bhandari were promoted, a government official said. Joint Secretary Raju Singh Malla has been appointed Acting Secretary at the prime minister’s office. Government also decided to provide customs duty exemption to Salt Trading Corporation to import 85,000 metric ton chemical fertilizers. nnnn NEPALI WOMEN RANKED TOP IN CRICKET Kathmandu, 19 Dec.: Nepali women have been ranted top players by the in the non-test playing category by Asian Cricket Council (ACC)/ Malaysia and Afghanistan follow Nepal. Nepal who had shared the ACC Trophy with UAE in a recent competition. nnnn GACHHADAR BACKS PM Kathmandu, 19 Dec.:ATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar today sprang to Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s defence and said one should refrain from casting aspersions on Bhattarai’s Motive, The Himalayan Times reports. DPM Gachhadar was hinting at Prime Minister Bhattarai’s yesterday’s proposal that the Madhesi force can also be given the government leadership. “The prime minister’s argument that the Madhesi force also should get its fair share is right. What the prime minister has been saying should not be interpreted otherwise,” said DPM Gachhadar, who is also the leader of the government’s main ally United Democratic Madhesi Front. “He has spoken about UDMF’s concerns,” added Gachhadar. “Bhattarai does not have the lust for power.” Gachhadar also lashed out at three parties — the Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML — and said his outfit was kept in the dark about the Big Three’s negotiations. Despite UDMF being recognised as a decisive force, it was not consulted by the major three parties, according to Gachhadar. “Consensus forged among the three parties alone cannot constitute the national consensus,” he said, adding that efforts to reach a deal hitherto has been confined to three parties. Gachhadar’s statements are a clear indication that forging consensus in another five days will not be an easy task. Nnnn CHOICE OF BIG THREE UNACCEPTABLE AS PM TO REBEL MAOISTS Kathmandu, 19 Dec.: In an apparent indication that the political crisis in the country is unlikely to end any time soon, CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidhya today said the name of the prime ministerial candidate chosen by the big three parties – Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Unified CPN-Maoist – will not be acceptable to his party, The Himalayan Times reports.. Talking to mediapersons at the Pokhara Airport, Baidhya said, “Government le-adership by either of three major parties, which failed to bring out a new constitution from the dissolved Constituent Assembly, is not acceptable to our party.” He said a new government sho-uld be formed under the leadership of a party that is capable of writing a statute. Baidhya went on to say only the person capable of making a new constitution and embracing the federalism could become a new prime minister. On a different note, he clarified that three-party syndicate was not acceptable to CPN-Maoist. He said after the Constituent Assembly was dissolved every party enjoys equal status. He called on the President to invite all parties for forging national consensus instead of confining to just three parties. “President cannot and should not discriminate among the parties,” he added. The CPN-Maoist chairman said handing over the government leadership to the parties that failed to make a new constitution through the Constituent Assembly was a ploy not to give a new constitution to the country. Offering a solution to the political crisis facing the country, he reiterated a round table conference was one and only way to finalise the leadership of the new government. He said his party had suggested name of General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa, as the candidate for the future government. Coming down heavily on the three major parties, Baidhya said people had lost trust on them as they had failed to write a new statute. “When the major parties could not bring out a new constitution in four years’ time, how can they be able to make a new constitution now,” Baidhya asked. He accused the UCPN-M of deviating from the spirit of people’s war. “The UCPN-Maoist cannot settle the problem of ethnic communities and groups,” Baidhya said. He warned his party would wage an armed struggle if people’s aspirations were not met. “Our struggle will continue until and unless people’s wishes are addressed,” Baidhya warned. He ruled out the possibility of merger with the UCPN-M unless the latter mended its ways. nnnn