President of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the elections to a constituent assembly cannot be held in a free and fair manner until Maoists are separated from their weapons.
Inaugurating the training programme for western regional party workers’ in Pokhara Deuba also ruled out the recent ‘single lock’ proposal of the Maoist for arms management.
Saying that Maoists’ idea of locking up weapons with a single key implied that they want to keep their weapons with them, Deuba said the Maoists’ weapons should be locked up with the keys of the eight parties, including the Maoists, under the inspection of the UN before the elections to a Constituent Assembly (CA).
“If they [Maoists] are really committed to lasting peace in the country, the number of keys would never make any difference,” former premier Deuba added.
As the ruling seven party alliance and the Maoists could not find any consensus in the issue of Maoist arms management, Maoists have proposed keeping their arms under UN locks while insisting on keeping the keys with themselves.
He advised the rebels to be more flexible regarding the arms management issue, adding, “If they do so the seven party alliance will be more flexible regarding the political issues.”
“It is being said that CA elections will be held within the next six months. How can the elections be held freely when cadres of different parties are unable to go to villages to work for organisational extension of their party, the displaced are unable to return to their villages and the terror of Maoists still pervades the villages?” asked Deuba.
Deuba also criticized the security agencies for failing to stop Maoist excesses and maintain law and order in the country.
Saying that NC (D) was all for party unification, Deuba said if the two Congress parties are unified in a mutually respectable manner it would strengthen the party.
Speaking at the same programme, party spokesperson, Dr. Minendra Rijal, said the future of monarchy should be decided in a democratic way, adding that the constituent assembly was the democratic route for the same.
He also added that the rebels should be completely separated from their weapons to hold the elections of the constituent assembly in a free and fair manner.
Central members of the party Amar Raj Kaini and Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat also charged Maoists for violating the 12 point agreement reached between ruling SPA and Maoists.
The four rounds of summit talks between the ruling SPA and the Maoists postponed indefinitely after both the sides failed to find consensus in the issue of Maoist arms management and fate of monarchy.