Kathmandu, Jan. 18 : RPP leader and ex-prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has said that the rpp and rpp (Chand) have been unified to emerge as a strong political force committed to nationalism and democracy.

At an interaction programme organised at the party office today, Mr Chand described as “misleading and malicious” the statement made by Rajeshwor Devkota decrying the constitutionality of the rpp unification after declaring himself the president of the rpp (chand) which has already merged with the rpp.

Rpp has been merged on the basis of a wider consensus of a majority of the rpp (chand) working committee, he said and appealed to all party workers to work for strengthening the party organisation bearing in mind the spirit of the party unification.

Twenty-two of the 31 rpp (Chand) working committee members had endorsed the party unification, he said, adding two more members endorsed the unification later.

In a statement issued at the meeting, Mr Chand said one is compelled to take the help of high sounding slogan to cover up one’s mean motive, conspiracy and wrongdoing. Rajeshwor’s slogan of nationalism also falls within this category, he added.

Rajeshwor Devkota, who is pointing a accusing finger now to what the government under my leadership had done three years ago, had fully supported the government’s decisions at that time and later joined the party under my leadership, he said, adding this shows what kind of a person he is.

Since his desire to become Deputy Prime Minister in the Council of Ministers headed by me after a negotiation had been reached with the organisers of the pro-democracy movement could not materialise, a maddened Rajeshwor decried the historic popular movement as a mob activity and the multiparty system as a system established through hooliganism, Mr Chand said.

Rajeshwor, who started harping on the slogan of democracy since the end of the last parliamentary session, might change the definition of his slogan of nationalism in any form tomorrow, he added.

According to another statement issued by rpp, the party is to organise district level party workers’ gatherings and public rallies throughout the country for strengthening the party organisation.

The party has also demanded that the government withdraw its decision to remove foodgrain depots from different parts of the country.

In the statement signed by party spokesman Kamal Thapa, rpp has alleged that irregularities are taking place in the distribution of relief assistance to the victims of Maoist violence and police excesses.