Maoist leader meets Poudel to discuss four-point deal

TIKA R PRADHAN

KATHMANDU: One of the influential leaders of Unified CPN-Maoist, Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’, who is close to the faction led by senior vice-chairman Mohan Baidhya and general secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’, has recently met NC vice-chairman Ram Chandra Poudel to discuss the four-point deal between UCPN-M and United Democratic Madhesi Front.

Chand’s meeting with one of the top leaders of Nepali Congress is seen as a significant development.

According to a highly placed source, Chand, on behalf of Baidhya-Badal alliance, had discussed the ways to scrap the deal signed by Maoists with UDMF to pave the way for consensus government. Talking to media today, Chand admitted his meeting with Poudel.

“NC, UML and Baidhya-Badal faction of UCPN-M were for scrapping the four-point deal as a section of Maoist and UDMF would not be able to conclude peace process and draft new constitution,” the source claimed.

He also claimed that fearing a new alliance among the NC, UML and Baidhya-Badal alliance, Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called the national gathering and training on October 16 to divert the issue.

Besides the Baidhya-Badal alliance, both Nepali Congress and CPN UML have also been opposing the four-point deal claiming that was anti-national and that failed to represent people’s sentiment.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai today met NC vice-chairman and parliamentary party leader Poudel and discussed ways to take ahead the peace process. According to PM’s aide Biswodip Pande, the two leaders have agreed to speed up peace process through the ongoing process.

(Published in The Himalayan Times on October 10, 2011)

Rival faction calls yet another gathering

'Baidhya‚ Thapa out to ruin establishment side's schedule'

Tika R Pradhan
Kathmandu, October 9: The alliance of senior Vice-chairman of Unified CPN-Maoist Mohan Baidhya and General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa today countered the establishment faction’s announcement of a national gathering and political training with their own announcement of yet another gathering, which they scheduled a day earlier.

The Baidhya-Thapa faction had opposed the party’s decision to hold a national gathering, alleging that it was not official.

Standing committee member Dev Prasad Gurung said that leaders had no right to call a gathering in the name of the party without taking a formal decision through a committee meeting, either the standing committee, politburo or the central committee.

“If Dahal and Bhattarai misuse the party’s name for training their own faction, Vice-chairman Baidhya and General Secretary Thapa will organise the party’s official gathering and training in similar fashion,” Gurung said, adding that Dahal and Bhattarai were free to organise their faction’s gathering or training wherever and whenever they wanted, but the decision to organise the party’s programmes must be official.

Commenting on the development, politburo member close to Dahal, Agni Sapkota said the Baidhya and Thapa had scheduled the gathering just to ruin the party’s gathering, but that would have no effect.

(Published in The Himalayan Times on October 10, 2011)