LAWYERS DEMAND CHAIRMAN REGMI RESIGN AS CHIEF JUSTICE Kathmandu, 1 June: A two-day meeting of lawyers in Baglung Saturday adopted a 10-point Baglung Declaration asking Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi to resign as chief justice. Three major parties and Madesh morcha recommended Regmi’s appointment as government chief even while continuing as chief justice. For the first time the country’s executive and judiciary ares headed by one person. Regmi leads a government of retired senior civil servants after parties failed to assemble a government to conduct second constituent assembly elections. The Regmi appointment has now become controversial as parties changed stances now calling for the resignation of the government chief as chief justice after first recommending the government chief’s appointment. The 40th national executive council meeting of Nepal Bar Asociation (NBA attended by nearly 700 lawyers Saturday called for Regmi’s resignation as chief justice saying he was appointed government chief against the universally accepted democratic principle of separation of power. The lawyers demanded announcement of date for assembly election. Thy also decided to pressurize government to appoint of district judges. Acting Chief Justice Damodar Sharma asked Regmi not to return as head of judiciary. “I will stop working if Regmi returns to the court. I will tender resignation from my post,” he said. nnnn . BLAME GAME BETWEEN PARTIES CONTINUES. Kathmandu, 1 June: CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal has accused the UCPN-Maoist of obstructing constitution writing, RSS reports from Mangalbare.. "The UCPN-Maoist though became a big party through election after suppression and terror, its inaction led to parties' failure to bring constitution," he reiterated. Inaugurating a district council of the party in Ilam today, Chairman Khanal argued that his party would become a largest political party after the coming election. "UCPN-Maoist is extreme left and Nepali Congress the traditional one, so both of them cannot lead the country", he said, adding, "The Madhes-centric parties can not represent all people in Madhes. So, the UML needs to be the largest political party," he stressed. Similarly, he said political parties would forge consensus and announce the election date very soon. Also a coordinator of the high-level political committee, Chairman Khanal said the country had numerous problems, and time had come to hold the Constituent Assembly election successfully. On the occasion, former speaker Subash Chandra Nembang said only consensus and cooperation would do well to the country. "To unite all parties, UML should be united first," he pointed out a need. The council was presided over by Mani Kumar Limbu, district committee chair of the party. Nnnn