Chief Maoist negotiator Dr. Baburam Bhattarai said Monday that time had come for all political forces to find a way out of the present political crisis through fresh mandate as the present situation lacked a fully functioning Constitution.

Speaking at a public programme two days after presenting himself before the mass for the first time in seven years, Dr. Bhattarai said his party was in support of a multiparty model of democracy where the people were the ultimate decision makers.

Dr. Bhattarai was speaking at a function organized to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Reporters’ Club. He asked the mainstream political parties not to be too proud of the old mandate that they had been able to garner.

“No political force in the country can be dubbed as constitutional in the present situation because there is no constitution to govern the country,” Bhattarai said. Dr. Bhattarai appealed to all political forces to bury the past differences and move ahead to address the political crisis in the country by leaving it up to people to chose which political force they want in the country.

Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand said the government was determined to translate the peace talks into lasting peace. Other prominent leaders of different political parties emphasized the need to work together for ushering in permanent peace in the country through the process of meaningful
dialogue.

Prime Minister Chand and Dr. Bhattarai jointly honored Gunaraj Luitel, news coordinator of Kantipur Daily and Rama Singh, news editor of Nepal Television with the Tarani Prasad Koirala journalism award.

It is so far the biggest award in journalism carrying a purse of Rs 50,000 and certificate. The Reporters’ Club also felicitated publishers and journalists who have made significant contribution for the development of journalism in the country. nepalnews.com am Apr 1