OPPOSITION LEADERS ASK PRESIDENT TO INTERVENE Kathmandu, 31 Jan : Opposition parties, including the Nepali Congress (NC), have urged President Ram Baran Yadav to take the initiative to form a new government saying that the president´s move has become imperative due to the failure of the major political parties to find a common prime ministerial candidate, Republica reports.. Emerging from the president´s office, NC Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel said that the president had expected the major political parties to come up with a solution but months have gone by without any progress. “It is desirable that the elected representatives or political parties resolve the political deadlock but since the parties have failed there is no option other than entrusting the president with finding a solution.” Paudel said the president should come up with a solution in accordance with the international practices and democratic values. “When various forces fail to end crisis, at least some one should come forward to salvage the country. As the head of state, now the president should find a solution,” he added. CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal said they would bring the ruling parties to their knees through the protests. “The ruling parties should have acted more responsibly but they are trying to deepen the crisis further,” said Khanal. “We have already taken to the streets. So now the protests will find a course.” However, UCPN (Maoist) leader Amik Sherchan who had accompanied party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to the meeting, said NC and UML leaders were adamant on one-point demand for government leadership while neglecting other crucial issues. He said his party has proposed a package solution to the ongoing political deadlock. “When we agree on ways to resolve crucial political issues and hold elections, among others, the issue of electing the new prime minister will automatically be settled,” said Sherchan. “But NC and UML leaders aren´t ready to think beyond leadership of the new government.” Earlier, the president held a separate meeting with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on ending the deadlock. Prime Minister Bhattarai said they discussed ways to create grounds for early elections. “We must hold elections by the end of May. Now the political parties need to hold serious talks on holding polls on time,” the prime minister told reporters while emerging from the president´s office. The president has resumed consultations with the prime minister and top leaders of major political parties at a time when both the ruling and opposition alliances have taken to the streets. An alliance led by the ruling UCPN (Maoist) gathered thousands of cadres in Kathmandu and top leaders including Dahal, Prime Minister Bhattarai and other key ruling leaders addressed the mass. They came down heavily on NC and UML leaders while accusing the opposition parties of obstructing consensus. The nine-party alliance led by NC and UML has announced to gather tens of thousands of people in Kathmandu on February 8. Nnnn UCPN MAOIST CONVENTION BEGINS SATURDAY Kathmandu, 31 Jan.:- In the party's upcoming general convention scheduled to begin on Saturday, the UCPN (Maoist) leadership will work to make its organisational structure smaller and more efficient, The Kathmandu Post reports/. Party leaders said the party's current structure is cumbersome as the number of committee members from the centre to the grassroots level is high. After unification with many smaller parties since joining mainstream politics in 2005, the Maoist's organisational structure has been in a mess. The party is holding its general convention after 22 years. The party is facing problems in the decision making process due to the mismanagement in its organisational set-up, leaders said. According to party leader Hemanta Prakash Oli, top leaders, including Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-Chairmen Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha, are holding discussions on scrapping the provision for a 16-member Standing Committee. The removal of the Standing Committee will leave a three-tier organisational structure--office bearers, Politburo and Central Committee (CC). If the Standing Committee is removed, members in the seven-member office bearers are likely to increase. According to Oli, the party is also working to lessen the number of CC members. Leaders are in consultations to create a 125-member CC at the convention. Before the party split, it had a 148-member CC. However, as the number of candidates aspiring for the CC is high, it will be a tough job for top party leaders to limit the number. There will be no polling at the convention to elect CC members. Instead, an understanding among the top leadership of the party will settle the issue. According to another leader, if there are disputes on the appointments to the party's organisational structure, a small CC will be formed and additional appointments made later. Nnnn CPN MAOIST MOVEMENT TO BE LAUNCHED Kathmandu, 31 Jan.: CPN-Maoist is all set to begin the people's movement, directed to pressurise the government for guaranteeing the promulgation of a federal republican constitution, safeguarding national sovereignty, The Kathmandu Post reports. . Furthermore, the leaders are also demanding the replacement of the present incumbent government with a national consensus government. A central committee meeting held for the first time after the seventh general convention of the party concluded that the top leaders of four main political parties have failed to avert the political crisis in the nation. Thereby, they have decided to launch people's movement from February 12 to pressurise the government for scrapping the unequal treaties signed by the present government. The meeting also decided that the party would resort to people's movement to mount pressure to withdraw all the cases related to the insurgency labeled against the Maoist including the murder of Dailekh-bases journalist Dekendra Thapa, said party sources. Issuing a press statement today, the leaders have announced that they have also decided to delegate responsibility to party leaders to expand party organizations and form a central advisory committee. Furthermore, addressing a press conference, Chairman Baidhya said there is no alternative but to launch agitation since parties have failed in their bid to go for fresh elections. "Our party is positive to form national consensus government through roundtable conference," added Baidya. nnnn