Biratnagar: The US embassy official, Robert Kerr talking to the Nepali businessmen here on March 14 afternoon said that Nepal will benefit from its membership at the World Trade Organization.

Robert Kerr who is also Director at the American Information Center opined that though the competition will be severe but yet the benefits of joining the WTO would be great for Nepal.

The US dignitary also suggested Nepalese leaders to minimize the colossal losses that the country was incurring due to almost regular Nepal Bundhs. “Such Bundhs definitely retard the growth of the Nepalese economy”, Kerr added.

To a question of the Telegraph, the US official expressed his utter “frustration” over the current state of the SAARC process.

“‘My country has always stood in favor of regional cooperation whether it is in South Asia or in other parts of the globe. We wish that the SAARC process gets resumed at the earliest”, concluded Robert Kerr.

Morang Traders Association organized the talk program.

Telegraph adds: The same evening, Robert Kerr met the office bearers of the Biratnagar Press Club at the Hotel where he was staying.

KP ‘s absence at the meet emboldens Koirala’s detractors

Kathmandu: The suddenly summoned congress hodgepodge in Kathmandu ended without devising any concrete mechanism or whatsoever to save their party Prime Minister from the opposition’s ongoing dangerous onslaught who have been demanding Koirala’s summary ouster from the chair.

The congress congregation summarily failed in sending a message to the opposition quarters that they remained united and could face the opposition be it in the parliament or even in the streets.

That the congress meet miserably failed gets reflected from the fact that Koirala’s old colleague K.P.Bhattarai summarily kept himself at a comfortable distance and even did not drop in at the meet for a second for all along the two consecutive meeting days.

This tells the sorry tale of the congress ongoing phenomenon.

Commented an intellectual: “Congress possesses enemy from within. The enemy from within is more dangerous because you can’t see them. The declared enemies at least allow you to prepare strategies to meet the challenge. However, the calculated absence of Bhattarai bodes ill for Koirala”‘.

As commented by the intellectual, Bhattarai has become more dangerous for Koirala than his opposition in the parliament.

” Neither Koirala felt the need to invite me at the meeting nor I took the meeting seriously”, commented Bhattarai when asked as to why he did not participate in the Koirala sponsored meeting.

Giving a new and painful twist to the current woes of Koirala, Bhattarai bluntly said that the matter which needed the solution from inside the parliament can’t be had from such a meeting.

In his opinion, this meet was an exclusive affair of the party but the opposition is demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister of the nation not of the party president.

To add insult to injury, yet another declared rival of Koirala, Sher Bahadur Deuba-considered being the protégé of Bhattarai- too told Koirala to resign.

The final shock to Koirala came from his own niece, Ms. Shailaja Acharya, who also hinted her uncle to resign. She refuted Koirala’s assertion that the opposition by demanding his resignation was destabilizing the system.

“If his resignation helps save the system from going to the dogs then he should resign and that too in the name of the system itself”, added Ms. Acharya.

An infuriated Speaker of the House, Taranath Bhat outrightly rejected the versions of some Koirala loyalists who suggested the Speaker to use the Marshals to control the pandemonium in the house and resume the business of the ailing parliament. He even wished to tender his resignation from the current post.

All said and done, the meet has failed which in all probability might have disturbed the peace of mind of Premier Koirala.

In the meantime, the UML has already decided to jump onto the streets two weeks from hence (Chaitra 26 corresponding to early days in April next month) to press the Prime Minister for resignation.

Consider what if a frustrated and hard-pressed Koirala proposes the King for the snap polls and the King rejects and seeks the advice of the apex court as usual? Will not this bring in a very uncomfortable situation in the country. All put together Koirala is perhaps losing the grip in the party and in government as well. A sizeable chunk of his party lawmakers have already hinted that they were against the mid polls.

A real crisis is in the making indeed.