Kathmandu: Labelling rebels in his party as regressive forces, Maoist chief Prachanda has said Nepal’s fragile transition process will not be allowed to be hindered as party dissidents took to streets to oppose deployment of army in Maoist cantonments.
While warning that the rebels in CPN-Maoist party were out to sabotage the ongoing peace process, Prachanda said he foresaw a possible compromise emerging among parties in the country on contentious issues, hinting that some understanding may have been reached on the Constitution- drafting process.
Prachanda claimed that he had taken bold decisions to defeat regressive forces, but admitted that differences remained on certain key issues regarding the form of governance and the type of federal structure to be incorporated.
Even as he expressed confidence on completing the transition process, his party hardliners took to streets in a torch-lit procession and clashed with police, who baton charged them. Twenty two supporters of the faction led by party vice president Mohan Vaidya Kiran were injured and hospitalised.
The injured included UCPN-Maoist General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa, Central Committee member Dinesh Sharma and Maitrika Yadav. They burnt the effigies of Parchanda and Prime Minster Baburam Bhattarai and called the pact reached on former Maoist combatants as betrayal.
The Nepal Army has taken charge of the 15 Maoist cantonments, combatants and their arms as per the directives of the Special Committee for Army Integration since Tuesday. Maoist dissidents led by Mohan Vaidya launched protests against the decision.
“This is a total surrender of our combatants, we cannot accept such a move,” Maoist politburo member Pampha Bhushal told PTI.
“Party chief Prachanda and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai have betrayed us showing opportunistic attitude. We will expose the move and continue the protests in whatever way we can,” she said.
“This is total betrayal to our martyrs and the party which have fought a decade-long war.”
The Maoist cadres had also enforced an hour-long transport strike in Kathmandu and other major cities across the country yesterday to oppose the decision.
Meanwhile, Prachanda hinted that after the completion of the peace process two national governments would be formed. “I see the possibility of formation of two national unity governments – one led by Maoist and the other by (opposition) Nepali Congress,” he said. He further said that a national government with the inclusion of Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML could be formed after some time. Bhattarai-led national government will be in place before May 27, the deadline to write the Constitution, he claimed. He also dismissed the possibility that the party hardliners would pose serious threat to the peace process and Constitution-writing.
“The decision of the Special Committee on Army Integration to hand over the Maoist weapons and the combatants to the control of Nepal Army would expedite the peace process and the Constitution drafting,” he said. (PTI)
