Top Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai discussed peace talks with President of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Pashupati SJB Rana and rebel demands for a roundtable conference, an interim government and a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution, party sources said.

RPP is Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand’s party. Members of the five member rebel negotiating a peace with the government assisted Dr. Bhattarai in the talks. Dr. Bhattarai launched preliminary talks with leaders of political parties in the dissolved parties Sunday by meeting with President of the Nepali Congress, Girija Prasad Koirala.

A curious crowd mobbed the rebel leader Monday as he came to address a public function two days after surfacing in Kathmandu for the first time in seven years after going underground to lead a People’s War to overthrow multi-party democracy and monarchy.

The revolutionary leader stole the show from other luminaries, including Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand; a slighted CPN-UML leader Madav Nepal walked out of the function for being side-lined. Dr. Bhattarai and Nepal held discussions Monday. nepalnews.com br April 1