UML MEETS AGAIN TO TRY FORM ELECTION GOVT. Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: UML central committee meets Saturday at 11 in the morning to consider its official position on a controversial proposal to appoint a government headed by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi to conduct May constituent assembly elections. A meting was inconclusive Friday with majority of 40 speakers opposed to the idea. The meeting lasted a marathon 8 hours. The independence of the judiciary will be lost with the implementation of the idea pushed by Maoists/ Chairman Prachanda said a political mechanism will direct the government. The idea has been opposed even by 11 small parties in a 21-party ruling alliance. Former Chief Justice Anil Raj Sharma says a former chief justice can only head the National Human Rights Commission. President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav Friday asked parties to assemble by Saturday with firm date to hold elections by end of May. The president told the Big Three and ruling Madeshi Mircha he’ll otherwise form a government unilaterally in no replacement government of Baburam Bhattarai is formed. Nnnn SATURDAY LIKELY TO BE RAINY Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: The capital’s temperature Saturday at seven in the morning was 7 degrees Celsiuss. Mercury is expected to rise to 16 degrees Celsius on a rainy day. Minimum temperature was 6 degrees Celsius. Friday was cloudy the whole day. Nnnn HIMALAYAN SHERPA, MMC PLAY IN FINAL OF SSSIMARA GOLD CUP Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Defending champion MMC plays Himalayan Sherpa Saturday in the fourth edition of the Simara Gold Cup. The match is being played in Simara. nnnn DOZENS NEPALIS MISSING IN KHUMBHMELA STAMPEDE Kathmandu, 16 Feb .: Dozens of Nepalis headed for Allahabad, India to celebrate the Kumbhmela, the world´s biggest religious fair, are still out of contact following the February 9 stampede where 36 pilgrims were crushed to death, Mana Thakur reports in Republica from Rautahat.. The missing devotees, who had gone to the fair with their wives, have been identified as Siyaram Sahani, Shree Narayan Sahani, Bhoji Sahani and Ram Aautar of Bariyarpur VDC-7. It is also learnt from Malahi VDC that Satyanarayan Sahani, Narayan Sahani and Acchelal Sahani have not yet returned home. In addition, the whereabouts of 48 locals, who had left for the religious mega fair from Hathiyahi VDC, are still unknown, informed Prem Chandra Jha, former secretary of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, Rautahat branch. Meanwhile, the family of Dhurni Devi Sah, 55, of Sakhuwa Dhamaura VDC, Rautahat district, one of the deceased in the stampede, performed the last rites on Tuesday. The injured Sah had died at Gorakhpur, India while returning home after minor medical treatment, informed Jasiya Devi Sah, aunt of the deceased. “After her death, the body was transported to Raxual check-post from Gorakhpur and then to her home. There were no difficulties in bringing her body back,” said Dhurmi. According to Jasiya, Dhurmi had been living in the home of her parents for the last two decades. Her last rites were performed by her husband, Basudev Sah. “Had our government provided shelter and protection for the Nepalese devotees who had gone to the religious fair, lives would have been saved. My brother would have been alive now,” mourned Hardev Sah. However, Rautahat Superintendent of Police Govindaram Pariyar said forwarding investigations into the deaths has become difficult as the victim´s families have themselves retrieved the bodies of their near and dear ones, without going through any legal procedures. Nnnn CJ-LED GOVT. INDIA’S BRAINCHILD SAYS: CPN-MAOIST Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: As the major political parties are busy holding parleys on the formation of a chief justice-led (CJ) election government, four left-parties, including the CPN-Maoist on Friday unveiled a two-day protest program, saying the parties were not actually acting on their own but dancing to India´s tunes, Republica reports.. They also termed the proposal of CJ-led government “anti-national” and the top leaders of the major parties “autocratic”. The left-parties have said that the top leaders of UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Madhesi front agreed to the idea of CJ-led government at the under the guidance of India. The left-parties, including CPN-Maoist, Matrika Yadav led CPN (Maoist), Mani Thapa led Revolutionary Communist Party and Kamal Chaudhary led CPN (United), have also demanded a national consensus government saying the UCPN (Maoist)´s proposal is against the spirit of multi party system and the interim constitution. Organizing a press meet at CPN-Maoist head office in Buddhanagar, party chairman Mohan Baidya claimed the Dahal´s “formula” had actually been devised by India. UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had announced to bring a new “formula” at the inaugural mass gathering of 7th general convention. Dahal´s proposal of CJ-led government was endorsed by convention. The Nepali Congress has already decided to accept this proposal, while the proposal is yet to be endorsed by the CPN-UML central committee. Earlier, UCPN (Maoist) Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai addressing a mass gathering at Khulamanch had said that the proposal would compel the opposition parties to come to an agreement. “President Dr Ram Baran Yadav had indicated that the parties might be under compulsion to accept a neutral person as the prime ministerial candidate for the new government,” said Baidya giving reference of the meeting with him with president on Wednesday. On Wednesday, the president had held a meeting with leaders of the major parties, including the CPN-Maoist. The leftist parties have also claimed that the proposal is the step toward imposing party-less system in Nepal. “We will not accept the proposal at any cost,” said Baidya. The four-left parties have planned protest rallies in the capital and major cities across the country on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Nnnn PM SAYS PLA INTEGRATION IN NEPALARMY MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT OF HIS GOVT. Kathmandu, 16 Feb.: Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai on Friday resorted to Twitter once again to make public a list of top 12 achievements of the government that he leads, The Himalayan Times reports.. He has listed the integration of Maoist combatants in the Nepal Army along with the arms management, and the broadening of roads in Kathmandu and other cities as top two achievements. At the time negotiations to form an election government to hold the fresh elections of Constituent Assembly are believed to be in their decisive stage, Dr. Bhattarai replied to some tweets addressed to him and asking if he was able to list his achievements as the country’s chief executive. In his latest tweet that leads to a 12-point list on Twitlonger, the Maoist Vice Chairman mentioned that the government was formed in his leadership in the most crucial period of Nepal’s history. Nnnn PARTIES EFFORT ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS OF END OF MAY Kathmandu, 16 Feb.:As the CPN-UML could not come up with clear cut decision today on the issue of appointing Chief Justice Khila Raj Regmi as the executive chief, today’s meeting of the four political forces did not make any headway to the consensus. They, however, focused today’s [Friday’s] discussions on how to guarantee the fresh Constituent Assembly elections by May 29, Prakash Acharya wrotes in The Himalayan Times. . Waiting the UML’s decision that will come most probably tomorrow, the parties at today’s meeting held at the President’s Office at Shital Niwas, discussed how to ensure the elections by May 29, said sources. The four forces – Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) – are scheduled to meet at 3 PM at Shital Niwas after the UML comes up with its decision, said NC Vice-president Ramchandra Paudel. There are some fundamental questions that needed to be addressed before agreeing the leadership of the chief justice in the election government according to Paudel. “How to balance the principle of separation of power if the chief justice was given the responsibility of executive chi-ef? What will be his role in the judiciary in such a situation? And what will be the role of political parties in the elections and other election related agendas? These are the questions that should be settled before deciding the name of chief executive,” said Paudel. Although, the parties are almost agreed to accept the leadership of Chief Justice Khila Raj Regmi to lead the “mechanism” or “administrative council” to hold the elections, all the parties were today focused on the issues of ensuring elections by May 29 according to Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, leader of United Democratic Madheshi Front. “There is not much problem on CJ’s name. However, every party wanted to be ensured on whether the elections are guaranteed by May 29 after he was appointed as the executive chief,” Gachhadar said. First, the parties will prepare a draft of package of solutions to guarantee the elections by agreeing on the constitutional and technical obstacles, and then they will decide the name of leadership and modality of the election mechanism, Gachhadar said, adding, the parties would be able to reach a consensus by tomorrow. To address the issue of separation of power, the parties are discussing on not granting any judicial power to the CJ during his role as the chief executive according to Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party-Nepal lead-er Mahendra Yadav. Voters’ criteria, number of election constituencies, percentage to be allotted for first-past-the-post and proportional representation, fulfillments in the election commission, amendment in the interim constitution and election related laws are the technical issues that should be addressed in the package deal, he said, adding, the parties today discussed on issues as how to mention them in the deal. Unified CPN-Maoist Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the talks were heading towards positive note. Saying that the UML is yet to decide about the CJ’s name. nnnn