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JANAJATI PARTIES MERGE

Kathmandu, 21 Aug.: Eight janajati parties merged Tuesday and launched

The Federal Republican Socialist Party (FRSP) under Parshuram

Tamang, who was chief of Tamsaling Nepal National party (TNNP).

The Nepal Peace Society Party, Hyelmo Autonomous State Council,

Khambuwan StateCouncil, Communist Youth League, Nepal Communist Party-Cheist, National Human Unity Party and National Dalit Republican Front merged.

A 1,001 member Election Mobilisation Committee under Tamang.

The new party supports te 19 November election.

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Kathmandu, 21 Aug.: Nanda Prasad Adhikari an his wife Ganga refused a government request by a top government team headed Health Minister Bidyadhar

Malik Tuesday to end their fast-unto-death at Bir Hospital.

The coup0le has been demanding action aganst Maoists who allegedly

killed their son and confiscated their property in Gorkha during the insurgency.

Maoist denied the Maoist aegation.

The delegates Ruesday included Tourism and Peace Minister Ram Kumar Shrestha, Home Secretary Nabin Ghimire, Secretary at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Raju Mann Singh Malla, Commissioner at the National Human Right Commission, Gauri Pradhan, NHRC Secretary Bed Bhattarai and Spokesperson Uma Joshi.

Government has said it will pursue the Adhikari claim to protests to

UCPN Maoist.

 
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HLPC ATTEMOS TO WOO OPPOSITION ALLIANCE

Kathmandu, 21 Aug.: The High Level Political Committee, which now comprises five political forces with the addition of Federal Democratic Front-Nepal, today discussed ways to bring agitating parties on board the election process, but left everyone to hazard a guess whether the dissenting parties would join the poll process, The Himalayan Times reports..

Like the government, HLPC leaders too have stuck to their stance of holding the Constituent Assembly election on November 19. The CPN-Maoist-led 33-party alliance, however, has been demanding that the election be postponed.

Unified CPN-Maoist leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said he had presented his assessment on the latest developments on the basis of his meetings with CPN-M Chairman Mohan Baidhya, General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa and Secretaries Dev Gurung and Netra Bikram Chand.

Shrestha said he had proposed that the HLPC should deal with the 33-party alliance in a creative and flexible way, as the latter too was willing to show complaisance.

Shrestha claimed that the 33-party alliance was not rigid on their demands of scrapping the 11-point agreement and 25-point presidential decree and was also showing flexibility on its condition that the Khil Raj Regmi-led government should be changed.

“They are not rigid about changing the Regmi-led government,” Shrestha said, adding that their major demand is holding a round table conference to discuss the contents of the new constitution.

The HLPC leaders today also decided to discuss the issues raised by the agitating parties among themselves before holding talks with them. The HLPC leaders were also positive about expanding the cross-party panel to induct the alliance members into it.

Bharat Bimal Yadav of FDF-N said the leaders were, however, for wrapping up the talks with the agitating parties as soon as possible as time was running out.

The HLPC has decided to hold talks with the CPN-M-led 33-party alliance at 9:00am on Thursday and with the Ashok Rai-led Federal Socialist Party at 5:00pm.

HLPC Coordinator Sushil Koirala has intensified meetings with the top leaders of agitating parties, including CPN-Maoist Chairman Baidhya and Federal Socialist Party leader Ashok Rai in a bid to convince them.

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EC NO TO MORE TIME

Kathmandu, 21 Aug.: The High Level Political Committee today requested the Election Commission to extend the deadline for voters’ registration by another week after the EC reopened voters’ registration on Saturday for a weekm The Himalayan Times writes..

Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML Chair Jhala Nath Khanal, Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Nepal leader Bharat Bimal Yadav, MJF-D leader Jitendra Narayan Dev and National Madhes Socialist Party Chair Sharat Singh Bhandari today met Chief Election Commissioner Nilkantha Uprety and other commissioners and urged them to extend the deadline.

CEC Uprety told THT that he told the HLPC leaders that given the tight schedule, the EC was unable to oblige.

Madhesi political parties are demanding more time though. Yadav said he was surprised to know that the EC said it was unable to extend the deadline.

Meanwhile, 21,686 voters registered their names in the voters’ roll today across the country, taking the total number of voters’ registered under the special voters’ registration process to 56,832, said EC Spokesperson Bir Bahadur Rai.

Kathmandu District Election Office registered 5,286 voters on Tuesday, with the highest number of people registering in the country so far.

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