Maoist Chairman Prachanda has asked King Gyanendra to stop advising parties on democracy. He said the King’s interview to a foreign paper was an attempt to make a comeback into the national politics once again.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Norwegian prime minister at Hotel Dwarika’s in Kathmandu on Friday afternoon, Prachanda said it was not appropriate time for the King to instruct political parties on principles of democracy.

“It signals his effort for possible comeback into politics,” he said adding that foreign powers might have backed him to give such statement.

He informed that the issue will be raised and discussed during the seven party meeting scheduled for Sunday.

Further, he said the issue of police raid on YCL office on Wednesday has been discussed with home minister, peace and reconstruction minister and other Nepali Congress leaders. Accordingly, government has withdrawn the
police from the office of Maoist-affiliated Samana Culture Group in Bhaisepati, Lalitpur, he said.

In another context, Prachanda claimed his party will lead the government after the constituent assembly election in April. nepalnews.com ia Feb 08 08

CPN (Mashal) has raised objection against the assurance given by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to Madhesi leaders that their demands would be met if they participate in the upcoming constituent assembly polls.

In a statement issued by its general secretary Mohan Biram Singh on Friday, the party said the PM’s statement raised suspicions that agreement against the interest of the country and the people would be reached with the rebellion groups in terai in close doors.

Singh also stood against the demands raised by terai groups for one Madhes saying the activities of the agitating groups are motivated by communal and separatist interests.

However, he said justifiable demands of the Madhes people have to be met.

Further, Singh condemned the Maoists’ decision to reactivate its Revolutionary People’s Council and the YCL attacks on leaders of other political party leaders. nepalnews.com ia Feb 08 08

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has said that the Constituent Assembly will provide an opportunity to address various challenges faced by Nepal.

“The Constituent Assembly to be elected in April is a strong platform for facing challenges of Nepal,” he told reporters at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA), just before he left Nepal after wrapping up less than 24-hour visit to Nepal.

He also stressed on the need to deal with the effects of climate change, particularly in the Himalayas.

The first head of foreign government to visit Nepal since the political change of April, 2006, Stoltenberg who had arrived in Nepal, Thursday, on a short “working visit,” held a series of political meetings Friday.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirla at Baluwatar, Friday. The Norwegian PM discussed about the ongoing peace process with Koirala, Feb 08 08. nepalnews.com/NPA

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Girija …
Stoltenberg met his Nepali counterpart Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s residence and pledged Norway’s continued assistance to Nepal’s development and peace process. Matters of mutual interest between the two countries were also discussed during the meeting.

Prime Minister Stoltenberg also held separate meetings with CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Maoist chairman Prachanda and various political party leaders at the Norwegian Embassy in the capital city to apprise himself of the ongoing peace process and the upcoming election to Constituent Assembly (CA).

Before starting the political parleys, the Norwegian prime minister had flown to Manang district at the foothills of the Himalayan Friday morning to observe a glacial lake to acquire information on the effects of climate change in the mountain region. nepalnews.com sd/ag Feb 08 08

The Melamchi Water Supply Project, whose future has always been in a limbo due to controversies surrounding it ever since it started, looks set to proceed, after the Asian Development Bank (ADB) agreed to new terms for the project for which it is the lead financier.

With this, hopes about the delayed water-supply project – which includes tunneling 26 kilometers through a mountain to ease chronic water shortages in Kathmandu – meeting its tall goals has increased.

“This project is the only realistic way to obtain a sustainable, long-term supply of drinking water for Kathmandu Valley,” said Leonardus Boenawan Sondjaja, Head of the Project Administration Unit of the Urban Development Division of ADB’s South Asia Department.

“While the need to address the water crisis is growing, the changing circumstances surrounding the project required adjustments in scope and implementation arrangements.”

According to a release issued by ADB Friday, it also agreed to remove a loan covenant requiring the award of a private-sector management contract to support the new utility as a precondition for warding the tunnel civil works contract.

Similarly, ADB also approved adjustments to the two loan components under the Kathmandu Valley Water Services Sector Development Program, which complements the Melamchi Water Supply Project.

ADB initially agreed to support the Melamchi Water Supply Project in 2000, but changes since then have seen the cost lowered from $464 million to $317.3 million with careful prioritization and phasing of the project components.

Work was delayed by political instability and challenges engaging private-sector partners.

The project is essential for Kathmandu’s 1.5 million residents, most of whom receive piped water for only a couple of hours a day. Many people rely on alternative water sources such as shallow wells, public taps, tankers, rainwater or bottled water – which are expensive.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social development, and good governance. nepalnews.com ag Feb 08 08

A day after arresting him in not-so-dramatic circumstances from a hotel in Chitwan, police put Dr Amit Kumar, India’s kidney racket mastermind, in public view by organising a press conference at 11:30 am Friday in Kathmandu.

Kumar was brought to Kathmandu from Chitwan by a special team of police early morning and was being held at Hanumandhoka police station with two of his accomplices for interrogation.

Police officials told a packed crowd of media-men at the press conference organised at Metropolitan Police Cell in Ranipokhari that Kumar would be produced in court on Sunday since Friday and Saturday happened to be holidays. He will be charged of possessing more-than-permissible amount of foreign currency.

A bankdraft for Indian rupees 936,000, and Euros 145,000 and USD 18,900 in cash were recovered from his possession during his arrest.

A police source said that since Interpol had also issued red corner notice against Dr Kumar recently for his involvement in kidney racket in India, police officials are also discussing possibility of extraditing him to India.

Before being escorted out of the conference room, Kumar said, “I am just a doctor…not a kidney dealer. I will reveal all the truth by organising a press conference after my release.”

Dr Amit Kumar, the man dubbed “Doctor Horror” by the Indian media after being accused of having forced or duped around 500 people into donating their kidneys, was arrested from a hotel in Sauraha, Chitwan. Kumar was brought to Kathmandu at midnight amidst tight security. Police said they also recovered some fake documents from him which made it clear that he was trying to acquire a Nepali Citizenship and passport apparently to reunite with his family in Canada.

After the illegal kidney racket operated by Dr Kumar was busted by the India police, he had fled to Nepal. Following reports that he was the kingpin of the international racket in illegal kidney transplants, Dr Kumar had hogged the headlines in India with television channels reporting his linkages in Nepal saying that he was also operating a hospital here. nepalnews.com ag Feb 08 08

The Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) leaders are in two minds over whether to forge an electoral alliance with the Maoists in the forthcoming Constituent Assembly (CA) election.

Reports say that leaders were sharply divided on the issue when it was raised during group discussion among senior party leaders in the ongoing central committee meeting.

The party had formed five different groups to discuss issues such as electoral alliance, and party manifesto.

Standing committee members KP Oli and Bamdev Gautam are standing on diagonally opposite points on the issue of forging alliance with the Maoists. Oli has said that it will harm the party if it joins hands with the Maoists, but Gautam believes the party needs to forge alliance with all democratic forces.

Gautam said that the final decision on this issue will be taken by the full house meeting of the central committee, on Friday.

The groups have also discussed the issue of party’s manifesto regarding its vision on how the country should be restructured after the CA election – whether it should adopt presidential system or prime ministerial system and what kind of federalism shout it adopt, among others. nepalnews.com sd Feb 08 08

Rejecting charges made by Maoist chairman Prachanda that she had ordered the police to conduct raids in offices of Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL), Minister without portfolio Sujata Koirala said the operation was launched as per the government decision.

In her interaction with journalists in Biratnagar, on Thursday, Sujata said the raids were aimed at ‘controlling unruly activities aimed at disrupting the election.’

She said, “It is the duty of the government to control wrongful activities. There is no need to blow up this issue.”

Some reports have said that the decision to raid YCL offices were made by Minister of State for Home, Ram Kumar Chaudhary – who is said to be close to Sujata Koirala – at the direct instruction of the prime minister and without the knowledge of Home Minister Krishna Sitaula.

Sujata also blasted the decision of the Maoists to revive the people’s revolutionary councils as parallel government just ahead of election. nepalnews.com sd Feb 08 08

Police have said they have arrested one Jeet Bahadur Rai for his alleged involvement in the attack of police posts in remote region of Khotang district two weeks ago.

Rai is said to be the leader of the gang that attacked the police posts.

Reports had said that the gang had looted weapons from the police posts. It is not clear whether the police have recovered those weapons.

After the attack, a group calling itself Kirat Workers Janabadi party had owned up the responsibility. nepalnews.com sd Feb 07 08

The war of words between leaders of Maoists and other parties of the seven party alliance have intensified following the YCL attack against Congress leaders in Darchula and the police raid in YCL offices in Kathmandu.

Former minister and UML leader Pradeep Gyawali has expressed doubts regarding the sincerity of the Maoists towards election.

“Serious questions have arisen with their comment that they want to seize power in whatever manner,” Gyawali said at an interaction programme in the capital, Thursday.

“There are reasons to suspect that they might be talking about election merely as a tactic to prevent any more accusation that they are against the polls,” he said.

His views were endorsed by Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC. “Across the country we can find them engaged in wall-painting – presenting Prachanda as their presidential candidate and avowing their commitment to the polls. But one suspects if all these are mere gimmicks,” he said. nepalnews.com sd Feb 07 08

The decision of the Maoist leadership to revive the United Revolutionary People’s Council has drawn criticism from almost all quarters, describing the decision as violation of the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) and other understandings signed in the past.

Talking to reporters in Biratnagar on Thursday, spokesperson of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) Kieran Dwyer said UNMIN would demand explanation from Maoist chairman Prachanda regarding the reinstatement of the revolutionary council.

He said reinstatement of the council is against the provision of the CPA and other understandings reached among parties and the UNMIN.

Similarly, the ongoing central committee meeting of the UML flayed the reinstatement of the Maoist “parallel government”. The party said the Maoists are trying to manipulate the local government by reviving a body already dissolved.

Similarly, in a statement the Nepal Congress protested the revival of the RPC and urged the Maoist leadership to stick to agreements reached earlier.

Additionally, speaking at a function, joint general secretary of the Nepali Congress Arjun Narsingh KC said reinstatement of the council has left room for suspicion over Maoist leadership’s sincerity towards peace process and the constituent assembly elections. nepalnews.com ia Feb 07 08