JANAKPURDHAM: The government was working to create a conflict with a circular on citizenship, former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has accused.

He said that the circular to provide the citizenship certificate by decent to those whose parents have received citizenship certificate by birth without amending the constitution will invite conflict.

The former prime minister stressed the circular was contradictory with the constitution.

KATHMANDU: The government has decided to ban strike and obstructions in the essential service sectors by publishing a notice in Nepal Gazette.

Spokesperson Gokul Banskota, who is also the Minister for Communications and Information Technology, informed journalist on the decision at a regular press briefing on Thursday.

The essential service sectors include ambulance, medicine productions, transportations on land, water and air, railway, communications, waste management, supply of daily essential goods, cooking gas and petroleum products and bank and insurance.

In case of obstruction and strike in these sectors, the government will facilitate the stakeholders to clear the hurdles, the Minister added.

Similarly, the government has increased road tax.

For the construction of the road to access the United Cement Factory of Naubise, Dhading, the land measuring 0.17 hectares would be provided from Pokharidanda community forest of Dhunibesi-9 in the district.

KATHMANDU: Chandeshwor Shrestha from Progressive, Professional and Inclusive Group has been elected President of Nepal Bar Association (NBA), an umbrella organization of legal practitioners, defeating Sunil Kumar Pokharel from Democratic Group with a margin of 149 votes.

Shrestha got 4,022 votes while his closest rival Pokharel got 3,873 votes.

Leelamani Poudel of Democratic Group got elected as General Secretary defeating Surendra Thapa of Progressive Group. Poudel got 4,178 votes as Thapa received 3,701 votes.

Likewise, Rudra Prasad Pokharel was elected Treasurer receiving 4,046 votes and Rakshya Basyal Woman Vice President from Progressive Group with 3,947 votes.

Progressive Group close to the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) has dominated the election, winning 23 out of 25 office-bearers. Democratic Group only won the posts of General Secretary and Vice President of State 5.

KATHMANDU: Chandeshwor Shrestha, President’s candidate from Progressive, Professional and Inclusive Group is leading by a small margin in the vote count in the recently-held elections of Nepal Bar Association (NBA).

Shrestha has maintained a lead by 53 votes against his close rival Sunil Kumar Pokharel from Democratic Group.

With 1,300 votes to be counted, Shrestha has received 3,091 votes and Pokharel has got 3,038 votes.

KATHMANDU: The Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHSC) on Thursday called for complaints against the five justices recommended to the vacant posts of the Supreme Court of Nepal.

A meeting of the committee held at Singha Durbar took a decision to that effect.

A meeting of the Judicial Council (JC) held on Tuesday had recommended Prakash Dhungana, Susmalata Dhungana, Kumar Regmi, Hari Phuyal and Manoj Sharma as justices to the apex court. Five posts of justices had been lying vacant in the SC for a long time.

As per the constitutional provision, PHSC needs to endorse the names of recommended justices before their appointment by President.

BIRATNAGAR: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba on Thursday said he would face the party’s special convention if the party’s district presidents were to call one.

Talking to reporters at Biratnagar Airport, Deuba said he would confront the special convention called by what he said ‘a small number of 20 to 25 district presidents’ of the party.

Deuba said had there been late Girija Prasad Koirala, he would have expelled the district presidents if they had convened such a meeting that is aimed at tarnishing the party’s image. “I, however, will not take any action against them,” Deuba said.

He said that the party’s disciplinary committee would look into the issue.

KATHMANDU: The disgruntled district party presidents have set to launch nationwide signature campaign against the central committee demanding  the review in its decision against the Mahasamiti mandate.

Participants at the two-day informal gathering of district presidents said the campaign is mooted to pile pressure on party leadership to withdraw the decision taken against the mandate of Mahasamiti.

Amar Singh Pun, NC Rolpa district president, said the gathering also discussed the need to back party leadership to get Mahasamiti mandate reflected through the central committee as per the commitment made earlier.

It may be noted that the Mahasmiti meeting held four months ago had decided that all the office-bearers and central committee members should be elected from ward level to represent the Mahasamiti – the highest representative body of the Nepali Congress.

The Mahasmiti also emphatically raised another issue that the party should not provide reservation facility to an individual more than one time.

However, the central committee endorsed the statute of the party without taking into consideration the concerns of the Mahasamiti.

The gathering also decided to make necessary coordination to raise relief assistance to the disaster-hit people of Bara and Parsa districts.

Also discussed in the meeting are consolidation of internal party organization and nationwide campaign against the wrongdoings of the government, shared NC Nuwakot president Jagadish Narsingh KC.

The gathering was attended by 41 district presidents of the NC.

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Oli has held a meeting with chief ministers of all seven provinces at his official residence, Baluwatar on Thursday morning.

The meeting dwelled on the issues related to development, financial management and misappropriation, staff crunch and hassles seen on the coordination between central and the provincial governments.

“The offices of the chief ministers will set agendas in coordination with the office of the prime minister and submit in the next formal meeting,” said Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, chief minister of Karnali Province.

The next inter-provincial meeting will be held on April 27.

In the meeting, the chief ministers also apprised the prime minister of their works done by the respective provincial governments, a source at the prime minister’s secretariat told Khabarhub.

KATHMANDU: The disgruntled faction of the Nepali Congress has decided to launch Mechi-Mahakali campaign against president Sher Bahadur Deuba.

A gathering of the disgruntled district party presidents held on Wednesday in Thamel took a decision to this effect. A total of 51 district party presidents were present in the meeting organized by the NC Kathmandu District Working Committee.

The leaders of the NC are dissatisfied after the Central Working Committee meeting overstepped the decisions endorsed by the Mahasamiti meeting.

DANG: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba said he would contest the elections and become the next party president.

He expressed the confidence that he would become the party president once again. “I will contest the election in line with the party statute,” Deuba told a regional assembly at Ghorahi of Dang on Wednesday.

He went on the say that Nepali Congress belongs to all the communities, including women, Tharu, Madhesi, Dalit, among others.

On the occasion, he criticized the government for failing to work as per the people’s aspirations.