January 1
|
The Army Integration Special Committee
(AISC) decided to start voluntary retirement and rehabilitation
of the former People's Liberation Army (PLA) combatants within
a week. A meeting of the AISC held under the chairmanship of the
Prime Minister (PM) took the decision to this effect. The voluntary
retirement and rehabilitation of combatants, who had chosen these
options during the regrouping process, will conclude in 12 days,
AISC member Ram Saran Mahat said.
|
January 2 |
The meeting between the top brass
leaders of the major political parties was put off for second
time after the leaders failed make headway on the forms of governance.
The meeting held at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction dwelt
on the report prepared by a taskforce, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified
Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal informed
after the meeting. He, however, added that the meeting would continue
on January 3 as well.
|
January 3 |
As the Unified Communist Party
of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) leaders continue to present their views
stressing on the need for keeping party unity intact in the Central
Committee (CC) meeting, chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda
showed his readiness to revise his political report to address
the feeling of the rival faction led by vice chairman Mohan Baidya.
|
January 4 |
The Constitutional Committee decided
to amend the constitution-drafting-calendar by extending the January
5 deadline to January 29 for completing the discussions on a report
submitted by the dispute-resolution-sub-committee to resolve the
contentious issues, mainly the form of the Governance.
|
January 5 |
The PM Baburam Bhattarai, who
is also a vice-chairman of UCPN-M, met senior vice-chairman, Mohan
Baidya to discuss ways to find common ground to keep party unity
intact.
The ongoing CC meeting of the
ruling UCPN-M for January 5 was put off until January 6 due to
a bandh (shutdown) called by the disqualified Maoist combatants
that has partially affected life in the Kathmandu Valley.
|
January 6 |
Nepal Army's (NA) bomb disposal
team defused three explosives placed by an extremist group at
Rajha Chowk along the Nepalgunj-Kohalpur road. The flag placed
adjacent to the bomb suggests it to be the handiwork of Terai
Janatantrik Madhesh Mukti Morcha (TJMMM) and a leaflet with its
'commander' Bharat Singh's signature has been recovered from the
area.
Major opposition parties - the
Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML slammed the Government for
slow implementation of the seven-point agreement signed on November
1 about pushing the peace and constitution-writing processes ahead.
Venting frustration on the Government
and its failing report card, Madheshi Janadhikar Forum-Nepal (MJF-N)
led by Upendra Yadav decided to withdraw its support to the Government
coalition.
|
January 10 |
The UCPN-M chairman, Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda met Prime Minister and party's vice chairman,
Baburam Bhattarai to assure that he is not seeking to replace
him.
NC vice president, Ram Chandra
Poudel said that the alliance of 16 parties is not meant against
UCPN-M. Talking to reporters in Singha Durbar after the meeting
of the 16 parties, Poudel said the alliance's aim is not to change
the Government and neither does it want to sideline the Maoists.
|
January 11 |
Hardliners in the UCPN-M rejected
a 'consensus proposal' prepared by party Chairman Prachanda, stating
that Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai should step down immediately
for consensus. Earlier in the morning, Dahal had dispatched a
draft of the consensus proposal to Baidya. However, Dahal has
assured Bhattarai that the present Government will continue for
some time as the party lacks a credible plan B, while also trying
to win over the hardliners by appearing to agree with their demands
at least in principle.
Life in various Districts of eastern
Nepal been affected by the bandh called by Eastern Tharuwan Kochila
State Joint Council (ETKSJC). The group had called for the strike
demanding Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha and Udaypur
Districts be declared as Tharuwan and Kochila State. The group
has put forward demands, including right to self-determination
to the six Districts and implementation of a six-point agreement
reached with the Indigenous Nationalities, among others. A bandh
was also called by the group on January 3.
|
January 12 |
A meeting of the Constitutional
Committee held at Singha Durbar in a bid to endorse the decisions
taken by the Dispute Resolution sub-committee on the contentious
issues in the new constitution. However, UCPN-M chairman, Prachanda,
who heads the dispute resolution sub-committee, did not show up
in the meeting while CPN-UML chairman, Jhala Nath Khanal left
the meeting early.
|
January 13 |
Nepal Army (NA) defused a pressure
cooker found at home of a cadre of Khambuwan Rastriya Morcha Samyukta
at Sangpang Village Development Committee-9 (VDC-9) in Bhojpur
District.
Anil Kumar Yadav aka Devram
(23), the Saptari District coordinator of Samyukta Janatantrik
Tarai Mukti Morcha (SJTMM) announced his decision to come over
ground. Yadav said he decided to come out in the public along
with four home-made pistols in the context of the Morcha preparing
to hold talks with the Government. The SJTMM is one of many Tarai-based
outfits waging struggle against the State.
Even as the internal dispute in
the UCPN-M appears to have subsided for the time being, the Mohan
Baidya faction reiterated that it has not given up its stance
for resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.
|
January 14 |
The Government of China agreed
to pledge USD 119 million grant assistance to Nepal for the physical
infrastructure development of the country.
|
January 15 |
The two-month long meeting of
the Maoist CC, which was put off numerous times, ended with the
party establishment and the hardliner Mohan Baidya faction agreeing
to put aside their differences for the time being in order to
avert a vertical split in the party.
|
January 16 |
NA defused five bombs planted
at Manpur, Banke along the Nepalgunj-Gulariya road section. Leaflets
and flags of JTMMM- Bhagat Singh were discovered at the site where
explosive devices were fused to explode under specific conditions.
The CPN-UML formed a four-member
'task-force' headed by senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal to hold
talks with other parties for timely conclusion of the peace process
and the constitution-drafting.
|
January 17 |
The District Police office (DPO)
arrested two persons belonging to JTMMM group with ammunition
at Gadiyanpuruwa in Kamdi VDC-3 in Banke District. According to
Police, the arrestees were identified as Dayaram Yadav (28) and
Ram Das Yadav (26). Police found a socket bomb, two bullets of
a pistol, two bullets of SLR and two rolls of electric wire from
the arrested duo.
Meanwhile, leaders of the main
opposition parties-- NC and CPN-UML-- walked out of a meeting
called by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to discuss issues related
to the peace process and constitution-drafting. They walked out
of the meeting protesting against the recent cabinet decisionto
give legal-status to the land transactions approved by the "people's
government" established by the Maoists during insurgency.
Separately, the Government has
allocated over NPR 1.97 billion as the first instalment for the
Maoist combatants who have chosen voluntary retirement.
|
January 18 |
The "People's Government" formed
by Maoists during the decade-long insurgency had certified some
5,000 land transactions in the Salyan District alone, and UCPN-M
led Government is all set to implement it legally,Most of war
time transactions were conducted in Bafukhola, Shivarath and Bame
Village Development Councils (VDCs) as they were Maoist base-areas
during the conflict.
The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified
Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Chairman, Jhalanath Khanal warned the
(UCPN-M) of dire consequences if the Government's decision of
legalizing the transactions of properties during the conflict
period is not revoked.
The United Kingdom has agreed
to provide NPR 2.5 billion (20 million Pound Sterling) to Nepal
Peace Trust Fund (NPTF) to support the ongoing peace process.
|
January 19 |
The UCPN-M Chairman, Prachanda,
conceded at a closed-door party meeting that he made a mistake
in compromising with the parliamentary parties on the issues of
peace and constitution, and pledged he would no longer enter into
any such consensus against the party´s fundamental principles.
Dahal said that after the NC and CPN-UML pushed hard on PLA integration
and constitution drafting issues and sought compromises one after
another.
The opposition parties NC and
CPN-UML said they will continue with their protest programs including
planned boycott of House session until the Government scraps its
recent decision to legalize land and property transactions carried
out by parallel governments (called "people's government") run
by the UCPN-M party during the decade-long insurgency.
A meeting of the Constitutional
Committee (CC) failed to arrive at any agreement with UCPN-M faction
remaining adamant on incorporating a provision for mandatory military
training to citizens above 18 years in the new constitution.
|
January 20 |
The political advisor of Prime
Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Devendra Poudel, said that the
national consensus Government is not likely to be formed in the
present scenario.
The Government will put on hold
its controversial decision to legalize property transactions carried
out by the Maoist´s "people´s government" during the insurgency
period. The Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai, has made up his
mind to put on hold his Government´s controversial decision that
has led to obstruction in parliament by 17 parties demanding its
revocation. The source said the Government will not revoke the
cabinet decision but will simply send it to the cold freezer,
never to be implemented again.
Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai,
and speaker, Subas Nemwang met to discuss possible ways to address
the demands of the opposition parties for resuming the meeting
of the parliament. Seventeen political parties represented in
the parliament including NC and CPN-UML have decided to continue
obstruction in the House until the Government revokes its decision
of legitimizing the transfer of ownership, use and transaction
of the lands recognized by the then 'people's government' of the
Maoist party.
|
January 21 |
The NC president Sushil Koirala
launched a more outspoken broadside against the Maoists, saying
the former rebels cannot be trusted anymore and that it won't
make any difference to his party if they return to the jungle.
|
January 22 |
The opposition parties continued
with parliament obstruction for the third consecutive day on January
22 against the Government's controversial decision to legalize
the land transactions done under the arbitration of the erstwhile
Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist's (UCPN-M) 'people's government'
during the decade-long insurgency.
Senior leader of NC, Sher Bahadur
Deuba accused Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai of airing an 'anti-national'
statement. He slammed Prime Minister Bhattarai over his statement
which says, "Unless we maintain equidistance between China and
India, we will be compelled to cede our territory to one of the
countries."
Leaders from the non-Maoist parties
at the Constitutional Committee (CC) meeting of the Constituent
Assembly (CA) on January 22 have expressed disappointment after
UCPN-M Chairman, Prachanda, reportedly disowned the previous agreements
reached at the dispute resolution subcommittee.
|
January 23 |
The bomb disposal unit of Nepal
Army (NA) has defused a time-bomb placed at Chirauli Chok of Bhokraha
Village Development Council (VDC-9) in Sunsari District. Pamphlets
of Janatantrik Tarai Madhes Mukti Morcha (JTMMM) and its flags
were recovered from the site.
Separately, top leaders of the
big three political parties met at Nepali Congress vice-chairman,
Ram Chandra Poudel's residence to discuss possible solutions to
the current political deadlock, The leaders could not arrive at
any understanding, but agreed to continue dialogue.
|
January 24 |
An IED planted inside a passenger
bus by militant outfit went off in Tulsipur of Dang District in
the morning. However, there were no casualties or any serious
injuries in the incident. Police said that they have found leaflets
of JTMMM, an outfit active in Terai area, inside the bus.
In a new turn of events within
the UCPN-M, party Chairman, Prachanda has piled pressure on Prime
Minister Baburam Bhattarai for scrapping the Cabinet's decision
to legalize the land transactions made through the parallel Government
run by Maoist party during the period of conflict.
The Energy Minister Posta Bahadur
Bogati while speaking at a program in Nuwakot said that the national
consensus Government would be formed under the leadership of UCPN-M.
Minister Bogati said that the possibility of forming the new Government
under the leadership of General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa could
not be ruled out.
General Secretary of the UCPN-M,
Ram Bahadur Thapa has said that the party would not break up just
because of ideological debate.
|
January 26 |
As pressure from hardliners in
the party mounts, UCPN-M chairman Prachanda, refused to take back
the Government's decision to legalise conflict-era property transactions
without first finding an alternative arrangement. The transactions
were made by the parallel government during the Maoist insurgency.
A cabinet meeting decided to extend
the term of the State Restructuring Commission (SRC) by one week.
|
January 27 |
The Prime Minister-led special
committee is all set to initiate the process to bid farewell to
those UCPN-M combatants who opted for voluntary retirement during
the regrouping process within three days. During the meeting held,
Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai, directed his secretariat to
initiate the process at the earliest to bid farewell to the combatants.
The Government registered an appeal
against the Supreme Court administration's refusal to review its
earlier decision of November 25 that put a final six-month cap
on the extension of the CA tenure. The application filed by Prime
Minister Baburam Bhattarai has cited three major precedents which
show that the court can review even final decisions of its full
bench.
Signs of a major rift in the SRC
have surfaced, with two main opposition parties warning that they
will not accept a report of the SRC due next week. . The parties,--Nepali
Congress (NC) and CPN-UML leaders issued the warning after some
of their representatives in the SRC complained that the members
representing the Maoist and the Madheshi parties were taking decisions
"unilaterally".
|
January 28 |
Samyukta Tarai Janatantrik Mukti
Morcha -- Azad (STJMM-A) group has asked the Government to meet
its 11-point demands. The group's head Udaykant Mishra aka
Azad made the demand. The demands of the group include declaring
Tarai as reserved state, 50 per cent position at Government bodies
allotted to Madheshi, compensation to the people dying in the
movements, withdrawal of criminal cases against its cadres and
integration of its military in Nepal Army.
|
January 29 |
Speaker Subas Nemwang filed a
separate petition at Supreme Court (challenging court's refusal
to register a petition seeking review on the SC's decision regarding
the term of the CA. In his petition, Speaker Nemwang has also
urged the court to hear the petition by a five-member full bench
of the judges. The CA term extended for the 4th time will expire
on May 28.The SC had refused to register the petition citing insufficient
legal bases.
The CC has requested the CA to
extend the deadline for forging consensus on disputed constitutional
issues till February 12, The thematic committee responsible for
preparing the first draft of the constitution unanimously took
this decision.
At a time, when opposition parties
are obstructing parliament, demanding that the Government scrap
its decision to legalize war-era land transactions, 16 sister
organisations of the UCPN-M have decided to hit the streets to
press the Government to effectively implement the decision.
|
January 30 |
The process of discharging 7,365
UCPN-M combatants who opted for VRS during the recent regrouping
process is set to begin from today.
|
January 31 |
The Supreme Court stayed the Government's
decision to legalise the land deals arbitrated by UCPN-M cadres
during the insurgency, until next order. Acting on a writ petition
filed by Democratic Lawyers' Association, a Supreme Court full
bench comprising justices Damodar Prasad Sharma, Kalyan Shrestha
and Tahir Ali Anasari decided to give continuity to a January
25 stay order issued by Chief Justice, Khil Raj Regmi. With this
fresh stay order, the decision will not be implemented until the
court gives a final decision on the writ petition.
SRC submitted its report to the
Government, proposing an 11-State federal model based on ethnicity
and language. However, the SRC could not reach consensus on its
recommendation with three members contesting the report of the
majority of the members.
|
February 1 |
Samyukta Madheshi Mukti Morcha
(SMMM) detonated a bomb at KP Store belonging to Kul Prasad Kandel
(35) at Radha Krishna Chowk of Gulariya Municipality-8 in Bardiya
District. The explosion caused minor damage to the counter and
property worth NPR 35,000 was damaged in the blast, proprietor
Kandel said, adding that no human casualty occurred as the bomb
went off during night.
CPN-UML Vice-Chairman, Bidya Devi
Bhandari, said that the party would not accept ethnic federalism
with special rights for ethnic groups with identity. Claiming
that fresh conflict would surface in the country due to the establishment
of ethnicity-based federalism, Bhandari said, "The country will
head towards ethnic war if the concerned authority fails to use
its brain on time."
|
February 2 |
Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai,
is all set to hand over the report of SRC to CA Chairman Subas
Nembang. The CA plans three-day deliberations on the disputed
report which recommends ethnicity based 11 States on the basis
of majority.
Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai,
said he would immediately issue directives to the NA to begin
the process of integrating the former Maoist combatants. Addressing
an all-party meeting called by three major parties, Bhattarai
said there was no alternative to taking the peace and constitution-writing
process forward. "Work to bid farewell to retiring fighters will
start from February 3. I will direct the N.A today to start the
integration process," he said.
|
February 3 |
The distribution of cheques to
the PLA fighters opting for voluntary retirement package kicked
off at PLA Third Division at Shaktikhor in Chitwan District. As
many as 1?137 out of the total 3350 combatants have chosen the
retirement package and the cheques were distributed to 447 of
the aforesaid number.
A court in the State of Bihar,
India gave a clean to 11 Nepali Maoist leaders facing criminal
cases of conspiracy and anti-India activities. The cases were
pending in the District Court for nearly eight years. The cases
were taken up following intervention by the Union Home Ministry.
The UCPN-M chairman Prachanda
said that the claim of NC over the Government leadership was valid.
"Our party and the UML have headed the government twice each.
The NC's demand for a turn is valid," he added. He revealed that
his party was ready to look into the possibility of an alternative
to the current leadership of the Government if efforts to turn
the coalition cabinet into a unity Government failed.
|
February 4 |
The handover of checks to UCPN-M
combatants opting for voluntary retirement was disrupted for hours
at many places because of disputes over their ranks in the PLA
hierarchy. They combatants claimed that they had been promoted
twice since the verification by UNMIN in 2007, and declined to
receive the checks made out to them as per their ranks recorded
back then, saying it amounted to humiliation. In Sindhuli, Shambhu
Prasad Devkota, who was battalion vice-commander in 2007 and has
now been promoted to brigade vice-commander, claimed that he should
get NPR 600,000, and when officials gave him a check for NPR 500,000
he asked his colleagues to boycott the whole process.
|
February 5 |
The meeting of the CC has been
postponed after the top leaders of the three major political parties
opined to forge consensus in the contentious issues of the constitution
writing at the three party meeting scheduled to be held this afternoon.
A group of 70 disqualified UCPN-M
combatants disrupted the ongoing voluntary retirement process
in the Surkhet-based Maoist cantonment by vandalizing a makeshift
office used by officials from the secretariat for the Special
Committee.
The NC leader, Ram Saran Mahat,
revealed that UCPN-M commanders have been seizing cheques issued
to the retired PLA fighters, demanding a certain percentage to
the party. "We told Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai during
today's meeting and he said he would find out the truth."
|
February 6 |
The Chief of the PLA , Nanda Kishore
Pun, down-played the controversy over the seizure of cheques and
identity cards by the commanders from outgoing PLA members in
some cantonments saying it is an "internal matter" of the party.
YCL and disqualified cadres padlocked
the UCPN-M party offices in nine Districts in the far-western
region, demanding same assistance package provided to the voluntarily
retiring PLA members and those being integrated with the NA.
The Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai,
has sent a formal letter to the Ministry of Defence instructing
it to start the process of integrating former PLA fighters into
the NA. The official instruction comes in the wake of mounting
pressure from opposition parties to take forward the integration
process.
Coming down heavily on the Government
and the ruling UCPN-M leadership, NC and CPN-UML issued a seven-day
ultimatum to the Government and the UCPN-M party to make tangible
progress in the peace process and to end obstruction in constitution
writing as per the November 1, 2011 seven-point deal.
|
February 7 |
Information and Communications
Minister, Jaya Prakash Gupta, warned that the Madhesh region could
sever its relationship with the State if the issues of the region
are not addressed. He claimed that a revolt is brewing in Madhesh
due to the haughty attitude of the major parties towards the region.
Cadres of the Maoist youth wing,
YCL, who have been demanding facilities at par with the PLA combatants,
disrupt the discharge of the combatants choosing voluntary retirement
by obstructing the road which connects the division cantonment
in Talbandi.
Amid reports of the YCL closing
down the UCPN-M party offices demanding same assistance package
provided to the voluntarily retired combatants, the UCPN-M decides
to provide assistance to them through its own sources.
The strength of SF personnel has
been increased from 25 to 100 in each of the cantonments for security
of the officials involved in the voluntary retirement process,
Maoist cadres and arms containers, according to sources. Police
personnel who were earlier kept outside the cantonments have been
called in for security.
|
February 8 |
The UCPN-M-led Government has
back-tracked from its adamant stance on the heels of agreement
reached among the three major parties--UCPN-M, NC and the CPN-UML.
However, the Cabinet was willing to search alternatives ways to
legalise the war-time property transaction within a week, after
holding consultations with the opposition parties.
The UCPN-M had directed commanders
in all the seven PLA divisions to collect 40 percent of the retirement
pay received by each retiring combatant, a PLA source has confirmed.
It is learnt that the UCPN-M leadership had called for a mandatory
contribution from all retiring combatants so that the amount could
be used in rehabilitation programmes for the disqualified PLA
fighters and members of the YCL.
In the six-hour-long meeting at
the Gokarna Resort, UCPN-M Chairman, Prachanda, proposed formation
of a national consensus Government to facilitate the peace and
constitution writing processes.
|
February 9 |
The Cabinet decided to withdraw
its January 12 pronouncement to legalise the war-time land-deals
carried out by the UCPN-M's 'people's Government' during the period
of insurgency.
The Government sent a letter to
the NA to start preparations for the integration of UCPN-M combatants
into the NA. The Defence Ministry dispatched a formal instruction
along with the minutes of the Special Committee decision to the
Army Headquarters. The formal communication was delayed due to
an ambiguity in the letter sent to the Defence Ministry by the
PM's Office on February 5. The minutes were prepared on the basis
of the seven-point deal signed in November 2011.
The Special panel asks banks to
only make payment to former UCPN-M combatants as seizure of pay
cheques increases. The Special Committee for Monitoring, Integration
and Rehabilitation of Maoist fighters decided to direct Government
banks to make payments of the account payee cheques given to UCPN-M
cadres opting for VRS only if they appear in person with their
identity cards.
The Opposition parties allowed
parliament to resume after 23 days of obstruction. The resumption
followed the Government's decision to backtrack from its decision
to legalise conflict-era land transactions. Prime Minister Baburam
Bhattarai's declaration before the House thus renders the cabinet's
January 12 decision nugatory.
The hard-line faction of the UCPN-M
led by vice-chairman, Mohan Baidya, as demanded resignation of
Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai, accusing him of violating party
policy by revoking cabinet decision to legalise the war-era land
transactions. Emerging from a Standing Committee meeting, party
secretary, CP Gajurel, said that they proposed to call back Bhattarai
from the Prime Ministerial post. Baidya loyalist leader also said
that PM's move was against the party policy.
|
February 10 |
That voluntary retirement of the
UCPN-M cadres has drawn to a close with completion of the process
in six cantonments. As of today, the secretariat of the Special
Committee concluded voluntary retirement process in Ilam, Sindhuli,
Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Rolpa and Surkhet, according to Balananda
Sharma, convener of the secretariat. He said works in the cantonment
in Kailali would conclude on February 11. "Only 55 combatants
are yet to get the retirement package as of Friday. We will complete
the work on Saturday," said Gopal Singh Bohara, who is leads a
secretariat team in Kailali." He said.
That at a time when the UCPN-M's
hard-line faction has demanded Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's
resignation over the cabinet decision to put on hold its previous
decision on legalising war-era land transactions, Maoist chairman,
Prachanda, claimed that the internal dispute was not so serious
as to bring the Government down. He further said the party had
settled bigger disputes in the past and that the current dispute
would also come to an end.
|
February 11 |
The discharge process of over
7,000 Maoist cadres opting for voluntary retirement ended today.
The 9,705 fighters opting for integration in the NA will now be
relocated in the seven main and seven satellite cantonments, a
meeting of the committee decided.
The major three parties UCPN-M,
NC and CPN-UML had decided to amend the constitution-drafting
calendar that would give them one more month to iron out the differences
on issues related to the new constitution.
The retiring UCPN-M cadres of
the first division cantonment located at Chulachuli of Topgachhi
VDC-7 in Jhapa District have protested the snatching of their
checks by cantonment commanders. They informed press-reporters
that they had formed a struggle committee to resist the commanders
and had chosen Purna Bahadur Limbu as their coordinator. The retiring
combatants said 701 cadres had received half of the declared money
and the commanders had looted the checks provided by the State.
|
February 12 |
The attack on two CPN-UML cadres
of Odanku VDC in District Kalikot by YCL cadres has left them
injured. Jore Sunar, 46, and his brother Kalya Sunar, 48, were
injured when beaten by five YCL cadres including YCL District
member, Gante Luwar alias Akhanda, and Takka Singh with
an iron rod.
That with almost 40 percent of
the verified 17,170 UCPN-M cadres returning home with the cash
package they received from the Government, the Special Committee
decided to shut down from today 14 PLA cantonment sites that were
set up after the peace process began in 2006.
|
February 20 |
A bomb disposal team of NA safely
destroyed two pressure-cooker bombs placed on the Ghorahi-Tulsipur
road section of the Dang District. Pamphlets of the underground
outfit JTMMM were recovered from the scene.
Opposition parties, who said an
integration plan prepared by NA was full of flaws, alleged that
the Government had 'its intentions wrong' when it made public
the NA-prepared scheme without discussing it at the Army Integration
Special Committee. Mahat was of the view that out of 9,690 fighters
opting for integration, hardly 4,000 were eligible for joining
the army. "Many of them opted for integration under pressure from
Maoist commanders. They will choose retirement if they are given
a chance now," he said.
|
February 21 |
The two major opposition parties
-- NC and CPN-UML -- have made it clear that they would not accept
"group entry" [in units] of UCPN-M combatants in the NA. The two
parties also raised strong objection to the Maoist demand for
one post of Brigadier General for the combatants.
The Supreme Court convicted Minister
for Information and Communications JP Gupta on corruption charges.
The apex court sentenced Minister Gupta to one-and-a-half years
in jail and slapped a fine of NPR 8.4 million, holding him guilty
of amassing property by misusing the power during his various
stints as minister. A division bench of Justices Shusila Karki
and Tarka Raj Bhatta announced the verdict on the case that was
under consideration at the SC since November 8, 2007.
|
February 22 |
Amid calls for his resignation
within the party, UCPN-M faction led by Prime Minister, Baburam
Bhattarai, is seeking ways to resist the growing pressure. But
both the factions led by UCPN-M Vice-chairman, Mohan Baidya and
Chairman Dahal are trying to create a situation in which Bhattarai
is squeezed and forced to resign. The Maoist Standing Committee
met to discuss a change in Government. "Dahal has felt that it
is the right time to tarnish the popular image of his competitor
Bhattarai and to create a situation so that he resigns," said
CC member Khagaraj Bhatta.
The MJF-G has suspended its Chairman
Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta from the party. The Supreme Court on
February 21 convicted Gupta also the Information and Communications
Minister of corruption and sentenced him to jail. Gupta was handed
down an 18-month jail term and slapped a fine of NPR 8.4 million
for amassing wealth disproportionate to his income. The office
bearers meeting held at party central office in Sankhamul under
the chairmanship of joint secretary Raj Kishore Yadav this morning
decided to suspend Gupta from the party."Gupta has been suspended
after proven guilty," MJF-G Joint General Secretary Ahamad Sah
informed.
|
February 23 |
As the issue of integration of
the UCPN-M's PLA fighters has tied Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
in knots, he has called a meeting of top leaders of major political
parties today in a bid to find a way to address major disputes
related to integration and drafting of the constitution, Integration
of UCPN-M fighters has become a Gordian knot ever since the NA
forwarded a proposal to this effect to the Prime Minister. The
UCPN-M party has demanded that at least one Brigadier-General's
post should be given to Maoist fighters in the to-be-formed directorate
under NA, but the opposition parties have objected to the idea.
Close on the heels of JP Gupta´s
imprisonment over corruption charge, the MPRF-R has called a meeting
of its central committee to discuss its future strategies. "The
meeting will discuss various issues, including the role of MPRF-R
in the Government and the United Democratic Madheshi Front (UDMF),"
said MPRF-R Vice-chairman Rajkishor Yadav, who is likely to be
the acting chairman of the party.
The first day of the three-day
eastern region bandh called by the Khas Chhetri Ekta Samaj has
affected normal life in the eastern region. The bandh called with
various demands including enlisting Khas Chhettri community as
indigenous group and allocating special reservation quota to the
community affected normal life in various Districts.
|
February 24 |
A meeting of three major political
parties has bestowed the responsibility to resolve contentious
issues seen in constitution drafting and the peace process to
the top leaders of the major parties. The big three meeting held
at UCPN-M Chairman, Prachanda's residence in Lazimpat today and
discussed the issues of peace process, constitution drafting process
and the formation of a national consensus Government.
Finance Minister Barshaman Pun,
who is also the standing committee member of the UCPN-M claimed
that UCPN-M combatants would get a post of Brigadier General while
being integrated into NA. Pun also said the integration proposal
of the NA, which says the combatants can only be given up to the
post of Major, should not be criticised as the issues is yet to
be agreed among the parties.
Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai
said that integration of the UCPN-M combatants into NA is in the
final stages and that it would come to a conclusion in a matter
of few days.
The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS),
Chhatra Man Singh Gurung, directed all division commanders to
make preparations for the integration of former UCPN-M combatants
in the NA.
|
February 25 |
An underground outfit, Bhagat
Singh-led JTMMM, has agreed to join peaceful politics. The outfit
pledged to renounce violence during a meeting with the Government
talks team in Lumbini. The first round of talks signed a six-point
agreement.
|
February 26 |
The UCPN-M Chairman, Dahal, has
proposed that PLA cantonments will be vacated within 2-3 weeks,
provided the parties agree to offer the rank of an 'honorary brigadier
general' or a colonel to a PLA combatant opting for integration
in the NA. Dahal tabled the proposal as per the responsibility
entrusted on him by a three-party meeting on February 24.
The Supreme Court scheduled initial
hearing on petitions filed by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
and Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang challenging the December 27
rejection order of the apex court against reviewing the November
25 CA term extension verdict.
The UDMF has taken strong exception
to the verdict of the Supreme Court that convicted J P Gupta,
the chairman of MPRF-R of corruption terming it as yet another
attack on the Madheshi movement.
|
February 27 |
Three persons were killed and
seven others injured in an explosion outside the Nepal Oil Corporation's
(NOC) central office at Babarmahal in Kathmandu, some 300 metres
away from Singha Durbar. "It is understood that the Sumyukta Jatiya
Mukti Morcha- Bishwokranti( SJMM-B) carried out the attack. Such
bombs were used during the Maoist insurgency.
NC Vice President, Ram Chandra
Poudel, said that it is doubtful that the UCPN-M chairman, Prachanda
will be able to implement his proposal to vacate the PLA cantonments
in three weeks. Poudel said that UCPN-M did not bring their promises
into action in the past and that there is no point in trusting
Dahal's new proposal.
The Government has withdrawn criminal
cases involving 349 individuals, including cases of abduction
and murder, upon the request of ruling and opposition parties.
The cases are currently under consideration at different courts.The
sources told that most of the withdrawn cases relate to murder,
abduction, arson and robbery and involve UCPN-M cadres and supporters
of the ruling Madheshi parties.
|
February 28 |
Senior leader of NC, Sher Bahadur
Deuba, said that going to the election to get a fresh mandate
of the people will be the only option left if new constitution
is not drafted within the stipulated dead-line. He said that there
exist great differences and rift among the parties regarding various
aspects of the new constitution.
A bandh (general shutdown)
called by Rastriya Jana Morcha (RJM) affected normal life in the
six Districts - Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Arghakhanchi, Gulmi, Kapilvastu.
The RJM had called the bandh demanding annulment of federal structure,
timely constitution and election at the local bodies.
|
February 29 |
The Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
and UCPN-M chairman, Prachanda held discussion on ways to accelerate
the stalled constitution-drafting and peace process. During the
meeting, Dahal is learnt to have urged PM Bhattarai to come up
with a clear work plan with definite time-frame to complete the
important task of army integration.
The Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
led Special Committee decided to shut down 13 People's Liberation
Army (PLA) cantonments and relocate UCPN-M combatants opting for
integration to the remaining 15 cantonments within the next 10
days.
The cross-party committee has
entrusted the NA or the Armed Police Force(APF) depending on whoever
is close to the cantonments in question with the task of providing
security to the vacated cantonments. Two satellite cantonments
each from the First to Sixth Divisions of the Maoist army and
a satellite cantonment from the Seventh Division will be closed
within March 10, according to the Special Committee. deal on integration
in the presence of members of the Special Committee.
|
March 1 |
A NA team has defused an IED at
Tinghare of Bhorletar VDC-6. A local cattle-herder, Bahadur Bhujel
first saw the bomb on February 29. He reported about it to the
Police after finding a wire attached to the device at closer inspection,
Chief Development Officer (CDO), Baburam Lamichhane informed.
The Police arrested member of
Magarat State Committee of the UCPN-M) Jasram Budha, from Ghorahi
in Dang District. Police seized 10 set detonator, 10 gelatin sticks
and fuse wire he was carrying in the bag.
|
March 2 |
A meeting of the CC of the CA
called to endorse the agreement reached on disputed issues seen
in constitution drafting ended inconclusively. As the top leaders
of the major three political parties--NC, CPN-UML and UCPN-M--
demanded additional time to resolve the remaining disputed issues
in the yet to be promulgated constitution, the meeting of the
CC has been deferred until March 11.
President Ram Baran Yadav warned
political parties not to 'play with the country's future' as the
country was in a critical stage with no possibility of extending
the term of the Constituent Assembly again. "The CA deadline is
approaching fast and there is no possibility of extending its
term again. So, the parties must best utilise the three remaining
months," NC Vice-president, Ramchandra Paudel, quoted the President,
as he emerged from a meeting with the President.
Two PLA combatants were taken
into custody on the charge of timber smuggling. Assistant commander
Bhim Bahadur KC and company commander Laxman Dhami of Ramji Smriti
Brigade were held while they were taking away some 35 cubic feet
timber from Udayapur Community Forest in eastern Chitwan. -The
forest guards and local consumers took them under control and
later handed over to the District Forest Office.
|
March 3 |
The much anticipated talks of
three major political parties held today to discuss the integration
of former Maoist combatants into the Nepal Army, disputed issues
of constitution-writing and formation of commissions related to
transitional justice ended inconclusively.
|
March 4 |
Kathmandu Police have made public
the six people it had arrested after the bomb detonated at Babarmahal
on February 27.The acused were paraded in the premises of Metropolice
Police Office. These people are identified as Bhim Bahadur Tamang,
NimaTamang, Buddhi Badhdur Gole, Prem Tamang, Suresh Lama and
Sagar Lama. Three people were killed and seven injured the time
bomb.
The Government of Nepal and JTMM-Jhawar
Sah Pratap (JTMM-JSP) group have held a peace dialogue at the
Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction in which the both sides signed
a six-point deal. In the deal, the group has pledged to be committed
to peace and constitution and Government treating the group as
a political one.
Members of the PAC of Parliament
have demanded details of the fund released by the Government for
the UCPN- M combatants who were not found in the cantonments during
the regrouping process. In the PAC meeting held today they demanded
details of the amount that the government released by creating
fake names. The Government has already released the amount for
2,449 combatants who were found to have left the cantonments.
Rastriya Janamorcha Nepal (RJN)
has enforced a day-long bandh (general shutdown) in Dhaulagiri
and Gandaki zones. The bandh called by RJN demanding timely constitution
has adversely affected daily life in six districts in Gandaki
and four districts in Lumbini zone.
|
March 5 |
Meanwhile, officials in the MoD
said that the NA proposal on integration of the UCPN-M combatants
was submitted directly to the Government bypassing the MoD, The
ministry's comments came nearly a month after the integration
proposal was submitted to the Government by CoAS, Gen Chhatra
Man Singh Gurung. However, a General close to the Army leadership
said, "The prime minister's office kept on insisting on the proposal.
So we had to rush to Baluwatar to present it without referring
it to the Defence Ministry."
Normal life in eastern part of
Nepal has been affected due to a bandh (general shutdown)
enforced by disqualified combatants of the UCPN-M for an indefinite
period. The disqualified ex-fighters have enforced shutdown since
March 4 demanding the previous agreements made with Ministry of
Peace and Reconstruction be implemented.
|
March 6 |
The bomb disposal team of NA has
defused 28 socket bombs found at the Dangpur Damauli in Motipur
VDC-7 in Bardiya District. The locals had found the bomb buried
under a tree at the Gobrela community forest of the Dangpur Damauli
while they were collecting firewood A local Kaliram Tharu said
that the bombs were kept in a plastic bag. Policemen had cordoned
off the area after the locals informed them about the bombs.
In addition, Deputy Prime Minister
and Home Minister, Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, said the Government
is going to roll out 'special security plan' in view of the approaching
deadline for the CA to draft the new constitution. Gachchhadar
said the special security plan is being introduced in a week to
tackle the security challenges in the next three months. He claimed
that elements are actively working against the republican order
and that they might try to incite turmoil in the upcoming months.
|
March 7 |
Janatantrik Terai Madheshi Mukti
Morcha (JTMMM), an armed outfit has detonated a pressure-cooker
bomb at a house belonging to Prem Dangi, a transport entrepreneur
at Tikari of Tulsipur Municipality-8 .The blast, however, caused
no human casualty and damage, the Tulsipur Area Police Office
said, adding that a police team led by Inspector, Madan Kumar
Thapa, had inspected the incident site before investigation. One
Barud claiming himself district coordinator of JTMM has claimed
responsibility for the blast.
|
March 8 |
The Prime Minister ,Baburam Bhattarai,
directed Defence Minister, Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, and Finance
Minister, Barsha Man Pun, to start within seven days the process
of recruiting Madheshi youths in the NA. The Supreme Court had
on December 26 issued an interim order asking the Government to
halt the group-wise entry of the Madheshis in the Army. "The court
has only stayed group-wise entry of Madheshi youths. As such,
there will be no legal hurdles in going about the recruitment
process on the basis of existing laws," leader of the Madheshi
Janaadhikar Forum-Ganatantrik (MJF-G) Raj Kishore Yadav quoted
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai as saying in a meeting.
The top leaders of the UCPN-M
and the UDMF agreed to amend the Interim Constitution to ensure
citizenship certificates to the children of those who have received
citizenships on the basis of their birth. The two coalition partners'
decision on this effect comes in the wake of a Supreme Court stay
order on government's move to issue citizenship certificates to
the persons in question.
|
March 9 |
Normal life in the far-western
region has been affected by the bandh (general shutdown) called
by Rastriya Jana Morcha (RJM). RJM called the strike demanding
scrapping of federalism, promulgation of constitution within the
deadline and election of local bodies. According to INSEC, offices,
industries, markets, educational institutions remained shut in
Kailali District due to the bandh. Police arrested two RJM cadres
for being involved in the vandalism. Kanchanpur representative
reports that Police arrested RJM cadres while they were enforcing
bandh. Police arrested RJM regional vice-chairperson, Lokendra
Lamsal; district vice-chairperson, Bidhyanath Adhikari, Purna
Prasad Paudel of All Nepal Youth Association (ANYA) and District
treasurer of Ethnic Convention Jeet Bahadur Thapa Magar. The bandh
also disrupted normal life in Achham, Darchula, Baitadi and Dadeldhura
Districts.
UCPN-M lawmaker, Balkrishna Dhungel,
who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment
by the Supreme Court of Nepal, said that he will not go to jail
under any circumstance. Speaking at a programme organised to inaugurate
the golden anniversary of Ghorakhori Higher Secondary School in
Okhaldhunga, Dhungel said, "They are forcefully trying to prove
me the murderer by sending to jail but I will not go to the jail
under any circumstances. He was present in the programme with
party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Maoist chairman, Pushpa Kamal
Dahal and Dhungel reached Okhaldhunga today to attend the programme
in a helicopter.
|
March 10 |
Senior leader of the CPN-UML,
Madhav Kumar Nepal has accused the UCPN-M of using its fighters,
arms and YCL cadres to capture booths during the election to the
Constituent Assembly. Speaking at a talk program organised by
the party's women's department of special coordination committee
on the occasion of the International Women's Day in the capital,
leader Nepal said the constitution could not be promulgated until
the Maoist party was fully disarmed. If the constitution was promulgated
without concluding peace process and the Maoists with fighters
and arms, there won't be fair political competition in the next
election, he argued.
|
March 11 |
The N C President, Sher Bahadur
Deuba, has called for reviving the constitution of 1990 rather
than continuing with the exercises to write the new constitution.
Speaking in Biratnagar, Deuba said the 1990's constitution could
be revived after omitting the provisions related to monarchy along
with amendment to few other articles. "I don't mean the entire
constitution should be revived. Some changes can be made along
with omission of the term 'king'," said he.
The three-party meeting of the
UCPN-M, CPN-UML and NC discussed in detail the formation of the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a Commission to probe
conflict-era disappearance cases. CPN-UML chairman, Jhala Nath
Khanal, said the parties are near consensus on the terms of the
bills related to the Reconciliation and Disappearance Commission.
"The next meeting will finalise the terms of the bills related
to the formation of the two commissions," Khanal said.
|
March 12 |
The UCPN-M has demanded that for
the constitutional-drafting process to kick-start, NC should be
flexible on "moving one step forward" from its current stand on
"traditional" parliamentary system. The Maoist leaders urged the
NC to be flexible on contentious issues of constitution, including
forms of governance so that a meeting point could be found somewhere
between a parliamentary system proposed by the NC and the directly
elected presidential system proposed by the Maoists.
|
March 13 |
The Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
has agreed to convene a meeting of the AISC on March 13 to take
the stalled integration process forward. The UCPN-M leaders have
been demanding that their combatants be given positions at the
decision-making level in the new Army directorate. Instead of
the Army's proposal for a general directorate led by a lieutenant-general,
National Congress (NC) leaders are mulling a directorate to be
led by a brigadier-general for integrating the combatants.
The leaders of three major political
parties--NC, UCPN-M and CPN-UML during the meeting of the CC under
the CA, vowed to ensure sustainable peace and timely constitution
as today is the last date (as per the CA's revised works schedule)
to forge consensus on remaining contentious issued affecting constitution
drafting. They also decided to seek two more weeks from the CA
to solve the disputed issues seen in forms of governance, electoral
system, and judicial system, among others.
The meeting of the AISC today
ended inconclusively after members representing the Nepali Congress
(NC) and the CPN-UML objected seriously to the PM Baburam Bhattarai's
proposal on PLA integration. "There is no point agreeing to a
proposal that is against the spirit of the seven-point peace deal,"
said Bhim Rawal, an AISC member representing the CPN-UML. "The
seven-point deal doesn´t have any provision for promoting NA personnel
immediately after they join the directorate," said Ram Sharan
Mahat, AISC member from the NC.
|
March 14 |
The hard-line faction of the UCPN-M
has initiated a process to form a new paramilitary force comprising
of retired and disqualified combatants loyal to it. The faction,
led by Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, has been opposing the ongoing
process of the combatants' integration and rehabilitation. The
Baidya camp organised a meeting of the combatants loyal to it
in Dang today.
|
March 15 |
Radio Paschimanchal, an FM radio-station
of the UCPN-M in Palpa District, was blown up by an unidentified
group. The blast took place at the third floor of the building
where the FM office was stationed, leaving the office completely
damaged. However, no human casualty was reported. UCPN-M cadres
reside in the other two floor of the building. No one has claimed
responsibility for the explosion. A detonator wire and bullets
have been recovered from the incident site.
An unknown group exploded a socket-bomb
outside a school at Balaju in Kathmandu today. Police said the
bomb that went off at around 8 pm smashed window panes of the
ground floor of Pragati Higher Secondary School. However, no one
was hurt in the incident.
The UCPN-M standing committee
member Dev Gurung has demanded resignation of Prime Minister Baburam
Bhattarai to end political deadlock facing the country. Senior
Maoist leader Dev Gurung sought the resignation of senior leader
of his own party saying that his resignation was necessary to
implement the agreements signed in the past and to make other
political parties implement those agreements.
|
March 16 |
The agitating YCL leaders said
UCPN-M leaders have treated them like beggars and insulted them
during a meeting called to finalize package for youth-wing members
who were former combatants. "The meeting ended up being a fiasco.
The party chairman, Pushpa Kamal Dahal walked out of the meeting
within 5 minutes saying he had a headache, and PLA chief, Nanda
Kishor Pun made remarks at the meeting insulting us," said Indra
Angbuhang, vice-coordinator of YCL Limbuwan State Committee. According
to Angbuhang, Pun told the meeting that the party only has NPR
180 million to give to the YCL members. "We disagree with Pun´s
statement. It will not solve the problem," said Angbuhang.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai,
who heads the AISC has urged opposition parties-- NC and CPN-UML--to
be flexible in providing a senior post for the PLA combatants
in the proposed Nepal Army directorate. During a meeting of the
committee today, Bhattarai said that the integration process will
move ahead once the opposition parties agree on a senior post
for the PLA fighters. The opposition parties, however, said the
issue of rank determination should be resolved as per the seven-point
agreement signed on November 1, 2011.
|
March 17 |
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's
political advisor Devendra Paudel today ruled out possibility
of the PM resigning from the post. His statement came as a reaction
against the public statement made by Maoist hardliner faction
that it will compel the PM to step down within a week. Speaking
at an interaction in Kathmandu, Paudel said that resignation was
not the subject matter to be sought from the street.
A group of about 100 UCPN-M cadres
led by Man Bahadur Thapa, the UCPN-M Pyuthan member and VDC secretary
Gobardhan Thapa, 50, arrived on March 17 from Rajbara VDC and
looted 140 poles brought for electrification of remote Aglung
VDC of Gulmi. Over 20 villagers including Radhika Malla, 70, Manmaya
Bishta, 45, Mina Chand, 40, and Bijay Chand, 52, of Aglung VDC-6
hurt in their attempt to stop the UCPN-M cadres from taking away
the poles. The YCL cadres armed with khukuri, spears and batons
had surrounded the homes of village elders before seizing the
poles. They even assaulted the Policemen arriving from Pujanibase
station.
|
March 18 |
Senior Vice-chairman of the UCPN-M,
Mohan Baidya, said that he was not struggling to become the prime
minister in the present context. Speaking at a news conference
organised by the Revolutionary Journalists Association, in Janakpurdham,
Baidya warned that, "New constitution is the dream of martyrs
and common people. People will take to the streets if conspiracies
are hatched in constitution making process and they are betrayed."
Responding to a query, the Maoist vice-chairman said he was not
in favor of the president's rule this time, adding that imagining
it under the present circumstances was to give birth to an authoritarian
ruler.
|
March 19 |
The UCPN-M chairman Prachanda
told the party´s CC members loyal to him that the party is heading
toward imminent split or dissolution if current differences within
UCPN-M are not resolved immediately.
|
March 20 |
CPN-UML member, Khum Bahadur GC,
50, a resident of Manmateriya VDC-9 in Rupandehi District has
been seriously injured when an unidentified person attacked him
with an iron rod and batons on March 20.Khum bahadur was attacked
when he was heading to his house from Gajedi VDC at Kataiya Chowk
nearby his house.
Three persons including PLA platoon
commander have been arrested in Sunsari District for their alleged
involvement in dealing of arms from an Indian national.
|
March 22 |
The JTMMP detonated a bomb at
the Naya Bus Park in Tulsipur Municipality-5 of Dang District.
One person sustained minor injury in the incident.
The prime minister-led AISC agreed
to introduce an action plan based on the seven-point agreement
within five days to start the PLA integration process.
The Baidya faction is reportedly
holding talks with fringe parties and groups to form a "united
front" to struggle for a "people's constitution and national independence".
According to leaders, talks are on with 11 political parties to
take to the streets.
UCPN-M Chairman Prachanda said
that the Vice Chairman, Mohan Baidya's faction's "true intention"
was to sabotage the ongoing peace and constituting drafting processes.
"The main cause of the intra-party rift is that we want to conclude
the peace process, but they (Baidya faction) want to sabotage
the whole process," he added.
|
March 23 |
The plan, outlining the criteria,
standard norms and calendar of integration will be prepared by
the AISC Secretariat and tabled in the next Special Committee
meeting slated for March 27.
Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai
held discussions with a team of high ranking NA officials led
by CoAS, Chhatra Man Gurung, on issues relating to the integration
of PLA combatants.
|
March 24 |
The AISC Secretariat submitted
personal details of the UCPN-M combatants who have chosen integration
to the NA. Meanwhile the AISC has decided to allow combatants
who have already opted for integration during the regrouping process
to choose for a second time between integration and voluntary
retirement.
|
March 25 |
A squad of the NA has defused
a bomb found nearby Bypass Road in Ramgram Municipality in Nawalparasi
District. Locals, who were terrified after they noticed the bomb
in front of Bal Govinda Petrol Pump, had immediately informed
the Police. According to locals, a pamphlet of Madhesh Mukti Tiger
(MMT) was recovered from the incident site.
|
March 26 |
Subash Chandra Singh, a member
of the talk-team formed by the armed outfit, JTMMP to hold dialogue
with the Government, has said that the group would not handover
its arms until the dialogue reached a conclusion. Singh informed
that more than 500 JTMMP cadres were in various jails across the
country.
UCPN-M Secretary, C P Gajurel,
said that the current Maoist-led Government is just like "a patient
kept in an ICU (Intensive Care Unit of hospital)."
The CA started discussion on the
report submitted by the SRC. The CA chair presented the SRC report,
which recommends a 11-State-federal model, for discussion. The
model proposed by the SRC includes Limbuwan, Kirat, Tamsaling,
Newa, Tamuwan, Narayani and Magarat States including Mithila-Bhojpura-Koch
Madhesh (in eastern Terai), Lumbini-Avath-Tharuwan (in western
Terai) and a non-territorial Dalit States.
|
March 27 |
Amidst serious threat of a vertical
split in the UCPN-M party, the meeting of the UCPN- M CC slated
for today in Kathmandu was put off for the second time in a conciliatory
move toward the faction led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya.
The hard-line faction of the UCPN-M
led by vice chairman Mohan Baidya held a separate cadre training
programme in the capital Kathmandu sending out a clear message
that it is not coming to terms with the party establishment any
time soon.
The establishment side of the
UCPN-M accused the Baidya-led faction of the party of selling
the party-seized land to pocket commission in Dang.
The Baidya faction denied the
charge. "We are not selling land for commission. We've only asked
party members to facilitate its sale if it meant that the farmers
were also getting some benefits from it," said Subas Pun, a Baidya
sympathizer.
|
March 28 |
The CC meeting of the UCPN-M took
place at party headquarters in Kathmandu. The establishment faction
of Maoist led by Prachanda and PM Bhattarai hold party's CC meeting
to chalk out a future policy and programme focusing on peace and
constitution. 99 members out of the total 149 CC members of UCPN-M
participated in an informal meeting called by the party establishment
to counter the radical faction, which has been forming parallel
committees at various levels and threatening to split the party.
The SC said that it will not review
its previous verdict regarding the CA term.
The bomb-disposal team of the
NA defused an IED planted at the Land Revenue Office (LRO) based
in Bhashi of Bhimdatta Municipality-3 in Kanchanpur District.
No outfit claimed responsibility for planting the bomb.
|
March 29 |
UCPN-M launched forceful donation
campaign in the name of organising cultural programmes to ensure
peace and timely constitution in various places in the Okhaldunga
District.
|
March 30 |
The three major parties -- UCPN-M,
NC and CPN-UML-- decided to form a task-force to come up with
a proposal regarding formation of the TRC and the Commission of
Inquiry into Enforced Disappearance by tomorrow.
|
March 31 |
The meeting of the top leaders
of the three major parties formed the task-force comprising Khim
Lal Devkota of UCPN-M, Ramesh Lekhak of NC and Agni Kharel of
CPN-UML. The taskforce has been charged with the responsibility
to come up with its recommendation by today.
The Traffic Police office in Jaleswhar
Municipal-5 in Mahottari District was damaged in a powerful bomb
explosion at 2:30 am. However, no casualties have been reported
in the incident. No person or group has yet owned up responsibility
for the blast.
|
April 1 |
The UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda urged the YCL leaders to compromise
on the party´s revolutionary ideals for the sake of peace and
constitution. "Time has come to make sacrifice. We will have to
sacrifice our stance for peace and constitution," YCL leader,
Ram Parasad Sapakota, quoted Dahal as saying.
Top leaders of political parties
agreed on April 1 to remove the list of non-pardonable crimes
of the proposed TRC bill. Section 25 of the bill listed various
crimes - murder in captivity, murder of an unarmed persons, rape,
torture, forced disappearance and abduction - as unpardonable.
Further, the Supreme Court has
issued an interim order in the Government's name on April 1, ordering
it not to implement its decision to withdraw the case against
murder accused persons filed by Rupaiya Devi Kairin of Rautahat
District. A two judge bench issued the order regarding the February
27, 2012, Government decision to withdraw murder cases against
six persons. The case was filed at the District Court on September
30, 2009 on charge of killing one Dev Sharan Mahato.
|
April 2 |
Further, normal life was adversely
affected in Chitwan District as a day-long bandh (general
shutdown) was enforced by Rastriya Janamorcha Party (RJP) to protest
against the idea of federating the nation.
The AISC has decided to get the
cantonments vacated by sending some PLA combatants into voluntary
retirement and the remaining ones under NA control for integration
along with handover of their weapons to the Government by April
12.
The Vice President Paramananda
Jha expressed doubts about the completion of the constitution
by May 27 and suggested the political parties to start discussion
on the alternatives. He said the parties would be wise to start
discussing the alternatives considering the situation after May
27 (if the statute is not ready).
|
April 3 |
UCPN-M hard-line faction led by
vice chairman Mohan Baidya accused party chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal of showing monopolistic behaviour by imposing personal decisions
and creating unnecessary hype over intra-party rift.
|
April 4 |
The AISC endorsed a time-bound
action plan to vacate the cantonments of PLA combatants and hand
over the stored weapons to the NA by April 12.
|
April 5 |
Kathmandu Police arrested three
persons for placing explosives in public vehicles and on charges
of creating terror in the capital.
The Business Advisory Committee
(BAC) of Parliament has given April 18 deadline to the concerned
bodies under the CA to resolve the dispute on issues concerning
the new constitution.
|
April 6 |
A pressure-cooker bomb went off
in Duerali under Panchkanya VDC-5, Sunsari District. According
to the Police, the abandoned IED went off while removing the rope
laid by a local Narendra Rai in between the Duerali basti (settlement)
and Thingabari. The Police said that the explosion caused no damage
to life and property.
Seven teams of surveyors from
the AISC fanned out to PLA cantonments to categories remaining
UCPN-M combatants and send them home or the N.A for integration.
|
April 7 |
At least two UCPN-M cadres were
injured in a clash between the rival party factions led by Chairman
Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya over
local financial sources in Dhangadi.
|
April 8 |
The Dhangadhi-based district office
UCPN-M was vandalised and all documents inside it set ablaze by
the party cadres loyal to the Baidhya faction today.
A Standing Committee (SC) meeting
of the UCPN-M held in the presence of PLA commanders today called
for an agreement on the remaining issues of army integration to
accelerate the peace process.
The UCPN-M leadership, which failed
to commence the second scheduled regrouping process by today,
has told the NC leaders that they would select 5,000 to 6,000
combatants on their own and hand them over to the NA by April
12.
|
April 9 |
A group calling itself as Samyukta
Jatiya Mukti Morcha (SJMM) planted an IED at a house in Kalaiya
of Bara District.The pressure-cooker bomb was discovered on the
veranda of the house of Bara District Secretary, Ram Prasad Chaudhary,
of the NC, Police said. A bomb disposal team of the NA was sent
to defuse the device.
Voluntary retirement of UCPN-M
combatants, which was due to start across the country from today
failed to materialize except in one camp in Rolpa mainly due to
internal differences within the UCPN-M as well as dispute over
the number of combatants to be integrated into the NA.
|
April 10 |
In what is being considered a
major development in Nepal's peace process, NA has taken control
of the PLA cantonments, combatants and the weapons stored in containers
inside the camps.
The Mohan Baidya faction of UCPN-M
described the decision of the AISC to hand over the PLA combatants
to Nepal Army as 'surrender' and that it would protest against
it.
|
April 11 |
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
today remarked that the PLA combatants were handed over to the
NA in haste considering the possible disruption to the integration
process. He termed the move to hand over Maoist combatants, their
arms and the cantonments to NA a "bold decision".
The UCPN-M secretary, C.P Gajurlel
condemned the Police interference in the torch rally carried out
by the hard-line faction of the UCPN-M today.
|
April 12 |
The AISC formed a taskforce to
settle the technical issues of Army integration. The four-member
task-force comprises AISC members Barshaman Pun of UCPN-M, Bhim
Rawal of CPN-UML, Minendra Rijal of NC and Jitendra Dev of MJF-Loktantrik.
The team has been asked to present its recommendations in the
AISC meeting to be held today.
The victims in Jajarkot District
whose property had been captured during the conflict time have
complained of not getting compensation. However, Coordinator of
the local peace committee (LPC) Jajarkot, Kaman Khadka said that
compensation could not be provided to the victims after the Peace
Ministry stated that appeals of the victims had not followed due
process.
The Joint National People's Movement
Committee, an alliance of 13 Communist parties led by hard-line
faction of the UCPN-M announced the second round of protest, declaring
Baburam Bhattarai-led Government a "fascist" coalition.
|
April 13 |
After three days of confusion
and delay, the survey teams of the AISC resumed voluntary retirement
process from today. UCPN-M directed commanders at cantonments
to let the process move forward.
The AISC has enforced a 12-point
code of conduct for former PLA combatants, barring them from engaging
in any political activity inside cantonments. The code came into
effect in all the 15 cantonment sites from today.
President Ram Baran Yadav said
that he won´t sign the new constitution in his capacity as the
head of the State if State restructuring is done in a way that
it would lead to the disintegration of the country.
|
April15 |
Normal life was affected in Ilam,
Dhankuta, Panchthar, Sunsari, Nawalparasi, Arghakhanchi, Kanchanpur,
Dang, Pyuthan, Banke, Rolpa, Jajarkot, Dailekh and Bardiya Districts
due to the Nepal bandh (general shutdown) called by Rastriya
Janamukti Party (RJP) and various ethnic fronts.
The ongoing second phase of voluntary
retirement process of the combatants belonging to the PLA so far
suggests the number of combatants choosing integration is going
to be far less than 6,500-the combatants' intake number in the
NA set by the seven-point agreement signed on November 1,. Of
the 9,705 combatants who opted for integration during regrouping
in November 2011, 4,052 combatants from all the seven PLA division
camps chose voluntary retirement as of today.
|
April 16 |
The second round of regrouping
conducted by the AISC concluded at the PLA's Third Division Camp
at Shaktikhor in Chitwan District. Altogether 1,587 of the total
2,414 former Maoist combatants kept at the Third division at Shaktikhor
went for VRS during the regrouping process. With this, 5,480 former
Maoist combatants have opted for VR in all seven Maoist divisions
till the evening of April 16.
Parallel District and State committees
of both factions of the UCPN-M are being established in six Mid
Western Districts.
|
April 17 |
The Political parties are preparing
to request the BAC of parliament for five more days to resolve
the contentious issues related to the constitution as a meeting
of the top leaders of the three major parties and the UDMF failed
to arrive at consensus.
The SC today issued a mandatory
order (writ of mandamus) to the Government and the Bara District
Court directing them to henceforth not withdraw cases involving
"serious crimes" even if they were of political nature.
The second round of regrouping
conducted by the AISC concluded at all the seven divisions except
Kailali today. Altogether 5,800 of the 9,705 former UCPN-M combatants
who had initially opted for integration into NA chose VRS during
the second round of regrouping that started at all the PLA divisions
on April 8. As of today, 3,905 former UCPN-M combatants seem to
be willing to join NA. There are 6,500 openings for UCPN-M combatants
in the NA set by the seven-point agreement signed by the parties
on November 1, 2011.
The CC of the CA has offered five
more days to the political parties to resolve the remaining disputes
related to constitution drafting.
|
April 18 |
The Government has inked a six-point
agreement with Samyukta Krantikari Terai Madhesh Mukti Morcha
(SKTMMM), an underground armed outfit active in Terai.
The leaders and law-makers representing
all Madheshi parties formed a committee to draft their common
position on all the disputed issues.
NA has formed a six-member committee
to select PLA combatants who have opted for integration into the
army.
The UCPN-M, ex-combatants qualified
for officer-level positions in the NA hierarchy have threatened
to opt for voluntary retirement if they are awarded positions
in the NA directorate as per the recommendations of the PLA leadership.
The UCPN-M chairman Prachanda
said that his party would not step back from its stance of directly
elected presidential system and federalism based on identity.
|
April 19 |
The Madheshi parties and the Janjati
(tribal) caucus are holding separate meetings today to discuss
disputed issues in the constitution, including federalism.
The major three political parties--
UCPN-M, NC and CPN-UML agreed to merge two separate proposed commissions
on Truth and Reconciliation and Disappearance.
The Government has decided to
register a bill in the parliament to make amendment to the Article
70 of the Interim Constitution to shorten the procedure for the
promulgation of new constitution.
|
April 20 |
Former PLA combatants who were
disqualified by the UNMIN staged a sit-in protest at UCPN-M headquarters
at Parisdanda, Koteshwor demanding rehabilitation package.
|
April 21 |
Armed Police Force (APF) today
arrested Binod Nepali, a former UCPN-M fighter heading home following
his voluntary retirement, with six rounds of bullets of a SLR
from Krishnapur VDC in Kanchanpur District, reports The Himalayan
Times.
A round-table conference of Tharu
representatives from several Districts concluded that the proposal
for one-Madhesh-one-province is unacceptable.
The UCPN-M ex-combatants who opted
for voluntary retirement during the second phase of the re-categorization
have complained of inordinate delay by banks in cashing their
paychecks.
|
April 22 |
The leaders from major political
parties today reached an understanding to adopt a mixed system
of governance in which the executive powers will be shared between
the directly-elected President and Parliament-elected Prime Minister.
The leaders also agreed on directly-elected vice-president.
"The Government today registered
a bill in the Parliament secretariat to shorten the procedure
for the promulgation of new constitution. The Law Minister Brajesh
Kumar Gupta registered the bill in the Parliament secretariat
to make amendment to the Article 70 of the Interim Constitution.
The Government has drafted an
action plan that aims to reform and manage lands in a "scientific"
way to implement the commitment of political parties in the Comprehensive
Peace Accord of 2006.
|
April 23 |
Normal life was affected due to
a bandh (general shutdown) called by the Nepal Federation
of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) across the Terai region, Public
transportation on highways has come to a halt in eastern Terai
Districts including Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari and Siraha
due to the banda.
The UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal said the Parliament is setting up Truth and Reconciliation
Commission and Commission on the Disappeared to probe into wartime
killings, torture and forced disappearance, adding that legal
actions will be taken against those involved in such rights violations.
JMMM detonated a bomb at the rented
house of a businessman, Pawan Pokhrel, in Kothiya, Gulariya VDC-10.
The blast caused minor damage to the house. Meanwhile, JMMM in-charge
Ranbir has owned up the blast saying that businessman Pawan had
failed to provide NPR 100,000 as donation to his group and that
he had spied against his group.
A large quantity of bombs and
ammunition were found buried in a river near the Tila satellite
cantonment in Gairigaun in Rolpa District Inspector Rupesh Khadka
said that Police found explosive devices, bombs, bullets and other
ammunitions in large quantity after locals informed the Police
about the dump.
|
April 24 |
Political parties settled all
the disputes seen in the constitution drafting process except
State restructuring. The meeting of UCPN-M, NC, CPN-UML and the
Madheshi alliance held at Constituent Assembly building settled
their difference on the key issues related to the constitution.
The Mohan Baidya faction of the
UCPN-M reactivated 'people's volunteers bureau' which comprises
former combatants and the young cadres. The Baidya faction announced
the new 17-member central body of the volunteers bureau amidst
a programme in Lalitpur.
|
April 25 |
The leaders of indigenous community
staged a sit-in before the Constituent Assembly building demanding
that the rights of the indigenous groups be guaranteed in the
new constitution. The leaders of the Federal Socialist Movement
including Laxman Tharu, Indrahang Limbu, D.K Tamang put forth
a 24-point demand insisting guarantee of Limbuwan, Khambuwan,
Tamsaling, Tharuhut, Magarat, Tamuwan, Khasan and Mithila autonomous
states.
|
April 26 |
Amidst differing positions of
the three major parties on number of federal States in the new
setup, the UCPN-M proposed a 10-State federal model based primarily
on ethnic identity.
|
April 27 |
Former UCPN-M combatants have
united under a new body called 'Ex People's Liberation Army Association',
which is headed by former PLA Chief Nanda Kishor Pun 'Pasang'.
The association was announced at a programme attended by the leaders
of the UCPN-M establishment including party chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.
|
April 28 |
The meeting of top leaders of
the major three political parties-- UCPN-M, NC, CPN-UML and Madheshi
alliance held at CA building at New Baneshwor to find possible
ways to resolve disputed issues related to the constitution drafting
process ended inconclusively.
Local people have enforced bandh
(shutdown strike) in far western region demanding undivided far
western region and protesting against 10-State federal model suggested
by UCPN-M.
The CPN-UML came up with a new
proposal on State restructuring aimed at countering the UCPN-M
stand for 10 States and exerting pressure on the NC to accept
the increase in the number of States.
|
April 29 |
The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS)
Chhatraman Singh Gurung said restructuring of NA has become necessary
as its current structure is out-dated. He said the institutional
structure of NA hasn't been reviewed since 1965 and is hence out-dated
and ineffective.
|
April 30 |
At least five people died and
a two dozen others were injured in a bomb explosion at the Ramanand
chowk in Janakpur District today, Police said the bomb believed
to be an IED went off while activists associated with Mithila
Struggle Committee were organising a sit-in protest demanding
the creation of Autonomous Mithila State at Ramanand Chowk. Local
news reports said underground outfit JTMMM has owned up responsibility
for the blast.
|
May 1 |
Some 700 former PLA combatants
who had opted for the integration into the NA during the second
phase of regrouping has asked the AISC to send them into voluntary
retirement. It has been learnt that the combatants are urging
the Special Committee to re-open the option of voluntary retirement
for them. Commander Tej Bahadur Oli at Nawalparasi's Jhyaltungdanda-based
Fourth Division camp is also one of them, said Under Secretary
Madhu Bilas Pandit.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
today said that his Government had taken big risks to move forward
the peace process toward conclusion and therefore should be allowed
to remain in office until the new constitution is promulgated.
|
May 2 |
The major parties - NC, CPN-UML,
CPN-Maoist and UDMF-- today agreed to form a new national Unity
Government to replace the current Government to ensure constitution
by the May 27 deadline. CPN- UML chairperson Jhala Nath Khanal
said that there has been an agreement between the political parties
to form a new national unity Government possibly by May 3 after
dissolving the current Baburam Bhattarai-led Government.
|
May 3 |
Major political parties-UCPN-M,
NC and CPN-UML along with the UDMF signed a five-point agreement
on May 3-4 to form a National Unity Government, As per the agreement,
all 48 Government ministers representing coalition partners UCPN-M
and UDMF in the current cabinet tendered their resignation to
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai today.
The CPN-UML has decided not to
join the coalition Government led by Prime Minister Baburam Bhataarai,
Responding to the UCPN -M plea to join the Government, the UML
said the existing Government could not be changed into unity Government
as it was formed on the basis of majority vote.
|
May 4 |
One among the several persons
injured in the Janakpur bomb-blast succumbing to his injuries
today, The number of victims of April 30's bomb explosion has
reached 5 The deceased has been identified as Dipendra Das.
The major three parties - UCPN-M,
NC, CPN-UML and UDMF have decided, in a meeting, to form the cabinet
by the evening of May 5. Emerging from the meeting, convened at
the Prime Minister's residence in Kathmandu , the UML leader Madhav
Kumar Nepal said that the national consensus Government would
be constituted by May 5. According to sources, all the parties
agreed to send the names of the ministerial candidates by that
date.
|
May 5 |
Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai
has administered the oath of office and secrecy to 11 ministers
at the presence of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav in Sheetal Niwas
today. The reshuffle is being carried out in a bid to form the
national consensus government. Five of the ministers from UCPN-
M, two from NC and five from UDMF have sworn in the presence of
the President. The UCPN-M ministers include Narayan Kaji Shresha,
Post Bahadur Bogati, Dina Nath Sharma, Barshaman Pun and Top Bahadur
Rayamajhi, while Krishna Prasad Sitoula and Surya Man Gurung are
representing NC and Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, Rajendra Mahato, Hridayesh
Tripathi, Mahendra Raya Yadav and Raj Kishor Yadav are from United
Democratic Madhesi Front.
|
May 6 |
The general strike that has crippled
life for the past 10 days in the Far-Western region continued
today. Although three big political parties urged banda enforcers
to call off their strike, the region still remained shut. Educational
institutions and marketplaces in villages and city areas remained
closed in the district headquarters of Kailali and Kanchanpur,
while vehicles stayed off the road.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
today appointed NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula as the deputy
Prime Minister. Sitaula took the oath of office and secrecy at
the president's residence in Sheetal Niwas.PM Bhattarai appointed
Sitaula in the post after NC President recommended his name for
the post. However, the portfolio for Sitaula has not been finalised.
|
May 7 |
The third largest party in the
Constituent Assembly, CPN-UML said it would support Baburam Bhattarai
led Government from outside, rebuking repeated calls from UCPN-M
and the NC to be part of the coalition.
Lending strong support to NA's
internal restructuring proposal, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
said the Army could be paralysed if the 47-year-old structure
is not upgraded.
The Government has formed a three-member
team under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Sitaula
to hold talks with protest organizers in different parts of the
country who have been demanding creation of federal provinces
of their liking.
|
May 8 |
The SAC of the legislature parliament
has directed the Government not to go ahead with the plan to restructure
the NA. A SAC meeting today unanimously passed the decision to
put the Army restructuring plan on hold until the adoption of
national security policy and the action plan on democratisation
of the army.
|
May 10 |
With leaders of major political
parties failing to resolve disputes in constitution writing through
consensus, CA secretariat is preparing to conduct votes on these
issues in the full CA today. It came after top leaders from major
political parties, who are members of the Constitutional Committee´s
Dispute Resolution Subcommittee, decided to resolve the disputes
through majority votes in the 601-seat full CA House.
With the parties deciding to put
the contentious issues concerning statute drafting to voting in
the Constituent Assembly, lawmakers from the ethnic and Madheshi
groups have decided to vote together on the issue of federalism.
Cadres of the UCPN-M captured
the land and property belonging to one District. The house was
captured accusing Pahadi of selling the land that was being used
by Badri Pahadi of Okharbote in Madirambeni Village Development
Committee (VDC-1) in Sangkhuwasabha the Maoists.
|
May 11 |
Over a dozen protestors were injured
in Kailali District headquarters of Dhangadi in separate clashes
today. A clash took place when Police intervened between Tharu
demonstrators demanding Tharuban province based on the identity
of Tharu ethnicity and protestors who were for an undivided far
west.
The meeting of the Constituent
Assembly, which was scheduled to take place at 3pm today has been
cancelled with CC not being able to provide the questionnaire
related to the contentious subjects of the constitution on which
voting will be conducted. This is the 10th consecutive deferral
of the CA meeting.
The CPN-UML Chairman, Jhala Nath
Khanal, while issuing directives to CPN-UML lawmakers at the party's
parliamentary party meeting today came down heavily on members
lobbying for ethnicity-based federalism.
|
May 12 |
The dispute resolution sub-committee
under the CC of the Constituent Assembly today finalised 30 out
of the total 117 questions related to the constitution on which
voting will be conducted in the CA.
Talks between the Government and
the delegation of those agitating for "undivided far west" started
in Kathmandu today In the first round of talks held at the Ministry
of Peace and Reconstruction, representatives of the agitating
group presented their demands to the Government's talks team.
|
May 13 |
The CC of the Constituent Assembly
today returned the questionnaire prepared by the dispute resolution
subcommittee to the latter, issuing instructions to finalize the
questions by accommodating suggestions offered by CC members at
the meeting.
|
May 14 |
UCPN-M cadres, Bijay Aale and
Shankar Nepali Higher Secondary School in Prithvi Narayan Municipality-7
in Gorkha District on fire today.
|
May 15 |
The three major political parties,
UCPN-M, NC and CPN-UML together with the UMDF today reached a
breakthrough on the new constitution as they agreed on 11-province
federal structure along with mixed governance system.
A seven-member taskforce has been
formed to put into writing the agreement between the major political
parties on various contentious issues of the new constitution.
|
May 16 |
The UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal told party's central committee member that the elected President
will exercise more executive rights than the Prime Minister who
will be elected from the parliament.
The UCPN-M vice chairman Mohan
Baidya, who leads hard-line faction in the party, met with NC
president Sushil Koirala requesting that his party should take
lead role in the constitution drafting process. Baidya urged the
NC leader to lead constitution writing process by incorporating
the views of all quarters.
|
May 17 |
The Terai Madhesh Loktantrik Party
has decided opt out to of National Consensus Government led by
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. The central working committee
of the party took the decision to this effect today. Party spokesperson
Ramashish Prasad Gupta said that the central working committee
also called back party chairman Mahendra Yadav from the Government.
Yadav was recently inducted in the cabinet.
The UDMF has announced a two-day
Terai bandh (general shutdown) beginning May 18 calling for establishing
an autonomous single Madhesh province.
|
May 18 |
The Bara District cadres of the
YCL demanded the release of two of its two cadres who were held
with weapons, explosives and contrabands. A Police team from Simara
Area Police Office had held YCL, Bara sub-in charge and Bhojpura
State Committee member Umesh Patel and UCPN-M cadre Narayan Singh
Pun aka Binda Yadav with weapons, explosives and contraband from
Bara's Manaharwa-9 VDC on May 15.
The Police in Kathmandu has said
that the mastermind behind the bomb blast in Janakpur town located
in Dhanusha District was Mukesh Choudhary aka Arjun Singh
of Tarai Students Liberation Front.
The Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
has allocated ministerial portfolios to ministers from the UCPN-M,
NC and CPN-UML as well as the fringe parties.
Meanwhile, the meeting of legislature
parliament is set to amend the Interim Constitution on May 19
to shorten the process of constitution promulgation process. The
House meeting scheduled to start at 3.00 pm on May 19 and is expected
to pass the 12th Interim Constitution Amendment Bill tabled by
Minister without portfolio Post Bahadur Bogati.
|
May 19 |
The leaders of the Broader Madheshi
Front speaking at a joint press meeting of the Front, Janajati
Struggle Committee (JSC) and Dalit and Muslim leaders today Janad,
said the PM's address on Friday "did not fully address their demand
though, in essence, he meant that the Maoist party has backtracked
from the 11-state model."
The UCPN-M has "backtracked" from
the May 15 accord among major parties about federating country
into 11-provinces. The party has sought a new agreement on state
restructuring to draft a new constitution within next 8 days.
Receiving a memorandum of Madheshi and Janajati lawmakers, Maoist
Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that deal is no more relevant
as UDMF disowned the agreement.
|
May 20 |
The talks between the three major
parties and the UDMF scheduled today morning has been put off.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
today administered the oath of office and secrecy to three ministers
at the presence of President Ram Baran Yadav. Badri Neupane of
the Chure Bhavar Rastriya Ekta Party, Kumar Belbase of CPN-ML
and Yadubansa Jha of CPN (ML-Socialist) were sworn in at a special
function at the Office of the President.
A meeting of four political parties
hit a road-block after the CPN-UML refused to sit for a dialogue
saying it was futile if the UCPN-Maoist continues double-dealing
by speaking of consensus and at the same time instigating different
ethnic groups to take to the streets. However, the UCPN-M Chairman
Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda while supporting the movement
launched by different ethnic and Madheshi forces, insisted that
a new constitution will the drafted within the remaining time-frame.
An UML leader alleged the Maoist of trying to bargain for ethnic
federalism by instigating different ethnic groups. A meeting of
four parties has been scheduled for May 21 to forge consensus
on the state restructuring.
The nationwide bandh (general
shutdown) enforced by Indigenous Nationalities Joint Struggle
Committee to press their demands for identity/ethnicity-based
federalism has crippled life across the country. The three-day
nationwide bandh was called by the Committee comprising various
organisations working for the rights and welfare of indigenous
nationalities, including NEFIN. Indigenous groups have enforced
the three-day strike just two days after caste-based organisations
representing Brahmins, Chhetris, Dalits and Sanyasis withdrew
their own strike after the government agreed to include them in
indigenous (janjati) list and assured them that soon-to-be-formed
provincial assemblies will exercise the sole authority to name
federal States.
|
May 21 |
President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav
met with top leaders of major political forces - UCPN-M, NC, CPN
UML and UDMF - and stressed on the need to promulgate the new
constitution by the May 27 deadline at any cost.
|
May 22 |
NEFIN withdrew all its protest
programs including the strike it imposed from the last three days
calling for ethnicity/identity-based federalism from May 23 after
signing a nine-point agreement with the government on its demands
Two key coalition partners-UCPN-M
and UDMF - have agreed to resolve the disputed issues seen in
constitution drafting through voting in the CA. The two sides
agreed to resort to voting in the CA to settle thorny issues if
the meeting between major political forces fail to settle.
The government decided to table
13th constitution amendment bill in the parliament to pave way
for three month extension of the term of the Constituent Assembly.
Earlier, the major political parties agreed to extend the CA term
by three more months. The parties decided to go for another extension
of the CA, concluding that it was not possible to promulgate new
constitution by May 27 deadline given the ongoing debate on federalism.
The decision of the major parties comes despite the Supreme Court's
verdict that had ended the possibility of another extension of
the CA term.
|
May 23 |
CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal
demanded resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai before
extending the term of the CA. He said that the Maoist Party's
activities created mistrust among the parties; PM's resignation
was the precondition to rebuild the trust.
NC decided to reject the government's
decision to register constitution amendment bill in the parliament
to pave way for three month extension of CA term. NC decided to
remain adamant on their previous stance for promulgation of the
constitution within the May 27 deadline.
|
May 24 |
The UCPN-M and UMDF have agreed
that the Prime Minister would not resign before the constitution
is promulgated.
The NC has decided to pull out
of the Maoist-led 'consensus' Government, opposing the decision
to extend the CA tenure by three more months.
BMF led my Madhesi Janaadhikar
Forum-Nepal chairman Upendra Yadav has slammed Government proposal
to extend the term of the CA by three more months. He also said
five point agreement signed by major four parties was a part of
conspiracy to fail constitution writing process.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling
to the Government, asking it not to proceed with its decision
to extend the term of the CA. The government had on May 22 tabled
the constitution amendment bill for the extension of the CA term
by three months despite the objection from the two other major
parties, the NC and the CPN -UML.
A meeting of the standing committee
members of the UCPN-Maoist close to the establishment faction
decided to remain in power until new constitution is promulgated.
The meeting also decided to keep its policy unchanged regarding
the agendas of indigenous nationalities, Muslims, Madheshis, women
and marginalised communities.
|
May 25 |
Three major parties - UCP-M, NC
and CPN-UML - and UMDF have agreed to promulgate the constitution
within May 27 while leaving disputed issues to the "transformed
legislature parliament" to resolve. As per the understanding reached
in the meeting of top leaders of the three parties, the draft
of the constitution will be issued by the CA within its deadline
and that the parties will agree on the names and the number of
the provinces before that. The CA will turn into legislature parliament
after the promulgation of the draft of the constitution.
Four major political forces -
the UCPN-M, NC, CPN-UML and UDMF - failed to resolve unsettled
issues of the new constitution, two days before the deadline of
the Constituent Assembly. The UCPN-M and UDMF proposed to adopt
either 14 provinces as proposed by majority members of the CA
thematic Committee on State Restructuring and Distribution of
State Power or six provinces as proposed by its minority members
through a voting process in the CA on a single-identity basis;
whereas, the NC and the CPN-UML opposed their proposal, saying
the provinces should reflect multiple identities of the respective
regions.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav advised
the top leaders of major political parties to deliver the Constitution
by May 27.
The CA meeting scheduled has been
deferred till May 26.
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's
proposal to go for voting in the Constituent Assembly to decide
on two disputed issue - state-restructuring and forms of governance-
at a joint meeting of four major political parties at Singha Durbar
was rejected by NC and CPN-UML.
|
May 27 |
The CA was dissolved without delivering
the new constitution after the parties failed to reach consensus
on the restructuring of the state. The cabinet meeting declared
fresh election of the Constituent Assembly on 22 November 2012.
Ministers from the CPN-UML and fringe parties walked out of the
cabinet meeting opposing Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's proposal
to hold fresh election.
NC, CPN- UML, broader Madhesi
Front and some fringe parties have rejected the government decision
to hold fresh election of the Constituent Assembly on 22 November
2012.
|
May 28 |
President Ram Baran Yadav is yet
to take his decision on the Government announcement to conduct
fresh election of the CA, following the unexpected demise of the
CA. President is set to consult with legal experts before taking
the decision.
UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
has described the Government's decision to hold fresh election
of the Constituent Assembly as "constitutional and democratic
step taken out of compulsion, which is in line with the Supreme
Court's verdict". He has also urged the parties to be ready for
national consensus Government.
|
May 29 |
President Ram Baran Yadav directed
the Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai Government to work in caretaker
status until the formation of the new Government. Issuing a statement,
the president instructed Government to work in caretaker status
under Clause 9 of Article 39 of the Interim Constitution.
CPN-UML accused the UCPN-M of
conspiring to dissolve the CA without delivering new constitution.
The CPN-UML accused the authoritarian motive of the UCPN-M as
the main cause behind the CA dissolution and for the political
crisis facing the country now.
|
May 31 |
Unidentified assailants shot and
killed a Supreme Court judge, Rana Bahadur Bam, as he headed to
work at Lalitpur District of Kathmandu. The bodyguard and a passenger
accompanying the judge in the car were also wounded in the attack.
A previously unknown group calling itself the Nepal Vad Party
leaflet was found at the scene of crime.
The Government formed a probe
committee under the coordination of AIG Kuber Singh Rana to inquire
the murder case of Supreme Court Justice Rana Bahadur Bam.
|
June 2 |
An IED went off near Anada Higher
Secondary School in Jalbire of Sindhupal chowk District, where
Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun was attending a programme organized
by the UCPN-M.
CPN- UML decided to form an internal
commission to resolve dispute inside the party over the issue
of identity-based federalism and forge consensus on addressing
concerns of indigenous, Madhesi, dalit and other marginalised
communities.
|
June 3 |
All the courts across the country
have remained closed, as a symbolic protest against the murder
of Supreme Court's justice Rana Bahadur Bam.
Election Commission came up with
a list of provisions in the Interim Constitution and other electoral
laws that require amendment to hold fresh Constituent Assembly
elections. The EC has reiterated that it cannot hold the polls,
scheduled for November 22, until the laws, including in the Interim
Constitution, are amended three months ahead of the elections.
The list has been forwarded to the Government.
UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda has started discussions with the party leaders of
various ranks in a bid to keep party unity intact. Pushpa Kamal
Dahal consulted the leaders to narrow down the intra-party rift
by taking dissenting Baidya faction into confidence.
|
June 4 |
A group of nine former CA members
of the NC, who have been demanding reinstatement of the dissolved
assembly, called on President Ram Baran Yadav and briefed him
about their demand .They insisted that reinstatement of the CA
would be a welcome move. However, President Yadav said broad understanding
among the parties is necessary in the current situation and that
he was ready to move ahead as per political consensus. Some 61
former-CA members have demanded reinstatement of the CA.
The Broader Madheshi Front (BMF)
today asked President Ram Baran Yadav to oust Prime Minister so
as to give an outlet to the current political stalemate. A delegation
of eight smaller parties associated with the Front, which is led
by Upendra Yadav, called on President Yadav. It also demanded
a roundtable conference for reaching consensus among the parties.
|
June 5 |
The UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal said that the dissolved CA can be reinstated through consensus
among political parties to settle the remaining tasks of the CA
and promulgate the new constitution. "We are open to any alternative
including reinstating the Constituent Assembly as long as it helps
in forging consensus," said Prachanda, "since talks of resurrecting
the dissolved CA are also making rounds".
UCPN-M Standing Committee member
Dev Gurung said that his faction was ready to support the protest
programmes of the opposition parties including NC and CPN-UML
to exert pressure on Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to step
down and pave the way for national consensus Government. He also
said that the chances to keep the UCPN-M party united were slim
until the party is reorganized.
|
June 6 |
The indigenous Janajati leaders
of NC have threatened to quit the party over differences with
party leadership on the issue of identity-based federalism. A
delegation of around 122 indigenous leaders including formers
Janajati CA members of NC met party president Sushil Koirala today,
and submitted a memorandum demanding that the party to respect
the sentiments of its Janajati leaders and their aspiration for
identity-based federalism.
The CPN-UML blamed Prime Minister,
Baburam Bhattarai, UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madheshi
Forum leaders for the dissolution of the CA as "they ignored several
alternatives to save the elected body".
|
June 7 |
The UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal today held meeting with the CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath
Khanal seeking the latter's support to end the political impasse
in the country. They also discussed possible way outs to end political
polarization that was seen after the dissolution of CA on May
27. Jhala Nath Khanal suggested Prachanda to make Prime Minister
Baburam Bhattarai resign to build trust and pave the way for consensus
Government.
|
June 8 |
Basanta Shahi, a cadre of the
CPN-UML-aligned All Nepal Free Students Union (ANNFSU) was shot
at by unidentified persons in front of his house at Sohrakhutte,
Kathmandu today. The motive behind the attack remains unknown.
Opposition parties including NC
and CPN-UML have warned of a stern protest movement to remove
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, accusing the Government of moving
ahead in unilateral and unconstitutional way. NC President Sushil
Koirala accused UCPN-M of showing despotic manners by taking unilateral
decisions. CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal said the aspirations
of Nepali people to draft new constitution were shattered due
to the ambition of the UCPN-M to impose autocratic rule. He said
election cannot be held in the current scenario.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
today reiterated the need to amend the interim constitution to
pave way for fresh polls to elect a new CA. He also ruled out
the possibility of bringing the dissolved CA back to life. "The
revival of the dissolved assembly is politically, constitutionally
and morally impossible," he said.
|
June 11 |
The UCPN-M senior vice-chairman,
Mohan Baidya, has refused to meet Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
arguing there was no point in holding further talks with the party
supremo, Baidya had refused Dahal´s phone request for a meeting
on June 8 saying he would not sit for talks unless Dahal commits
to meet three preconditions. Baidya also said past meeting between
the two had not yielded any results.
|
June 12 |
NA inactivated a socket-bomb found
in a brick-kiln at Kanthapur of Kalika VDC-6 in Bardiya District
today. Its Gorakhdal Battalion inactivated the bomb found in Pandey
brick kiln, Police said. An unidentified gang planted the bomb
in the office from a window, Keshav Pandey, proprietor of the
kiln said.
The NC has expressed concerns
over the UCPN-M's "extortion drive" targeting industrialists and
businessmen in the name of managing their former combatants. Issuing
a press statement, the party has said, "The Nepali Congress strongly
denounces the Maoists for carrying out extortions and demanding
employment and shares in industries based in Hetauda Industrial
Estate and other areas of Makwanpur.
|
June 13 |
A Standing Committee (SC) meeting
of the establishment faction of the UCPN-M decided today that
party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is ready to quit the party leadership
for the sake of preventing party split. The decision comes at
a time when the dissident faction of the Maoist party led by Senior
Vice chairman, Mohan Baidya has called a national gathering for
June 15 in a bid to form new party.
In an attempt to prevent a vertical
split in the party, UCPN- M establishment faction has handed over
a proposal on party unity to hard-line faction leader Mohan Baidya
Party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal handed over a seven-point proposal
to vice chairman Baidya during a meeting. Receiving the proposal,
Baidya told Dahal that he would clarify his final position after
holding discussions with other leaders of his faction, according
Dahal´s aide Shiva Khakurel.
The United People's Party of Kangleipak
(UPPK) 'general secretary' N Shanti has been arrested by an Indian
security agency from Kathmandu. According to a reliable source,
the militant leader, identified as Ningthoujam Shanti alias
Chinglemba alias Chingkhei, son of Surendra kumar of Sagolband
Wahengbam Leikai, was recently arrested from Kathmandu in Nepal.
The agency also recovered three different foreign passports from
him.
|
June 14 |
The hard-line faction of the UCPN-M
has expressed its dissatisfaction over the seven-point agenda
floated by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal for party unity The faction
has said that the seven-point agenda does not create a basis for
unity as there is nothing new to it. According to Dev Gurung,
an influential leader within the hard-line camp, Chairman Dahal
has failed to live up to his commitment to state in writing that
the present line adopted by the party has failed and that he would
apologise for the mistakes. "
The NA today said its attention
was drawn to some remarks made by political leaders in public
forums and to the news items relating to the army published in
different media. The NA´s statement comes in the wake of UCPN
Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal saying publicly that Maoist party
had already won the confidence of the NA and that the national
army won´t support President Dr Ram Baran Yadav if he decides
to sack the incumbent caretaker Prime Minister from his post.
The acting Chief EC Nil Kanth
Uprety and some members of the EC today met President Ram Baran
Yadav. They briefed the President on the constitutional and legal
hiccups to holding fresh elections. The committee has also raised
doubts on whether the constitution can be amended through ordinances.
The panel has suggested finding common political ground and amending
the constitution by using the discretionary powers of the President.
The panel was formed soon after PM Baburam Bhattarai on May 27
announced fresh Constituent Assembly elections.
|
June 17 |
Five natives of the India State
of Manipur, including a rebel leader, have been apprehended by
Nepal Customs at Kathmandu Airport today. The origin of the flight,
seizures made from them, if any and personal details and ranks
of the arrested individuals have not been disclosed by the Nepalese
authority.
At a time when the UCPN-M establishment
faction is requesting rival faction led by vice chairman Mohan
Baidya to sit for negotiation to keep party unity intact, Baidya
has proposed name for the new party in national gathering of the
state committee-level cadres taking place in the capital. Presenting
a political report, vice chairman Baidya has proposed the name
for the new party as UCPN-M (Revolutionary) among the leaders.
Responding to party establishment
faction's seven point proposal on party unity, dissenting faction
had sought written self-criticism from the rival faction for its
mistakes, errors and the weaknesses and also asked it to express
commitment not to repeat such mistakes in the days to come. However,
the establishment faction is yet to give precise answer to the
response of Baidya faction.
President Ram Baran Yadav called
all the chiefs of the political parties represented in the former
CA to his office and asked them to forge consensus to end the
current political and constitutional crises.
|
June 18 |
The UCPN-M, the largest party
in the dissolved Constituent Assembly, has formally split with
the dissident Mohan Baidya faction announcing the formation of
a new party, Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist (CPN-M). The Baidya
faction announced the new party at the end of the three-day national
gathering of its cadres at Sherpa Sewa Kendra in Bouddha, Kathmandu.
Chairman of the newly formed Communist
Party of Nepal, Maoist (CPN-Maoist) Mohan Baidya said his party
was against parliamentary politics and that it might not even
register with the Election Commission.
Baidya accused the UCPN-M chairman
Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
of ruining the achievements of the 'people's war' and compromising
the party's basic principles.
Baidya said there was still possibility
of unity with Dahal and Bhattarai if they admitted their mistakes
and accepted the ideological line of the new party.
The party does not see the possibility
of "people's revolt" right now, but it "might opt for it after
preparations", Baidya added.
|
June 22 |
The families of the persons disappeared
during the 10-years of conflict have not been able to receive
the interim relief due to the delayed processing of the applications.
|
June 24 |
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
dismissed the opposition parties' demands for resignation from
his post and Claimed that the Government would conduct the fresh
CA polls on the declared date on November 22 and he would hand
over power only to an elected Prime Minister.
|
June 25 |
Chief Commissioner of the Election
Commission Neelkantha Upreti said that election to the CA could
be held on November 22 if the political parties are able to forge
consensus to end the existing political stalemate and also agree
on election programmes. However, he said that the CA election
could also be held within April 13, 2013, if it is not possible
on November 22 this year.
|
June 26 |
CPN-UML politburo member Raghuji
Panta said his party would name K.P Oli as its prime ministerial
candidate if the NC failed to come up with a name at the earliest.
NC leader Arjun Narsingh K.C said his party's central working
committee meeting would be held within the next ten days to name
the prime ministerial for the consensus government. He said either
Ram Chandra Poudel or Sher Bahadur Deuba is the obvious candidates.
|
June 28 |
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
said that the parties need to arrive at a concrete understanding
on ending the current deadlock and that he is hopeful of a compromise
among parties.
Former leader of the MJF-L Sarat
Singh Bhandari announced the formation of his new party - Rastriya
Madhesh Samajwadi Party. The party has 61 members Central Committee,
which mostly comprise of leaders and activists who were either
expelled or left MJF-L with Bhandari.
A group of former CA members of
the NC have urged the party leadership to make the resurrection
of the CA as the immediate agenda of the party. They stated that
the CA was dissolved unceremoniously and unconstitutionally and
that its revival would lead to the solution to the present political
stalemate.
|
June 29 |
NC and CPN-UML leaders said that
they are ready to attend a meeting of the prime minister-led Special
Committee for the Integration, Supervision and Rehabilitation
of PLA in Nepal Army. The Nepal Army is all set to start groundwork
for the selection next week.
Chairman of the newly-formed CPN-M,
Mohan Baidhya, urged the party cadres to take the breakaway from
the UCPN-M as a natural process. He said formation of the revolutionary
party was a must to pave a way to the current political transition.
|
July 1 |
The Supreme Court declined to
issue an interim order against the Government's plan to bring
a full budget.
|
July 2 |
Daily life was adversely affected
in Chitwan District due to a day-long bandh imposed by the UCPN-M.
The dispute between the rival
Maoist parties over the ownership of party offices seemed far
from over with the vice chairman of the breakaway CPN-Maoist,
C.P Gajurel, demanding that his party also wanted its share in
the central office of the UCPN -M located at Peris Danda in Koteshwor.
Leaders of the newly formed CPN-Maoist
met Nepali Congress (NC) president Sushil Koirala to discuss possible
collaboration between the two parties to topple the Bhattarai
Government.
|
July 4 |
PM Baburam Bhattarai met with
Janajati (indigenous) leaders of various political parties
who have been demanding identity-based federalism. PM Bhattarai
called the Janjati leaders at a time when the latter are
said to have agreed on the formation of a cross-party joint front
to press for identity based federalism.
Nepal Army (NA) started integration
process of former Maoist combatants from July 4 as per the decision
of Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) and direction of
the Government.
Leaders of 22 opposition political
parties jointly met President Ram Baran Yadav at Shital Niwas,
requesting him to not to approve the budget to be presented by
the Maoist-Madheshi Government.
CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal
met President Ram Baran Yadav and requested him to start process
to form new Government.
|
July 6 |
President Ram Baran Yadav suggested
the Government to take the opposition parties into confidence
before introducing the budget for the new fiscal year. The opposition
parties are opposing to a full budget by the care-taker Government.
PM Baburam Bhatttarai made it
clear that the Government is firm on presenting a full budget.
Speaking to a delegation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) at
the PMO, Bhattarai claimed that the Government would introduce
the budget on consensus.
|
July 7 |
With the integration of former
UCPN-M combatants, PLA fighters, coming to a halt following protests
by the combatants against the selection standards of the Nepal
Army, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said that the integration
process would be carried out in a respectful manner.
The integration of the former
Maoist combatants, which started from July 4, had come to a halt
with the combatants opposing the standards set by the NA, complaining
that the process is being carried out as a regular recruitment
rather than "respectful integration".
Chairman of the newly formed CPN-Maoist,
Mohan Baidya, has described his party as the "third force", claiming
that it was capable of leading the nation. Speaking during a book
launch in the capital, Baidya said his party emerged as the third
force in order to give an outlet to the political deadlock. He,
however, did not explain on what basis his party could claim third
position.
|
July 9 |
UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda defended his party's line of peace and constitution,
stating that the signing of the 12-point understanding in 2005
was "fundamentally correct".
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda said leaving the Government without striking agreement
on contentious issues of the new constitution will be 'suicidal'
for the party. In his political document presented to the party's
Politburo, he firmly stood in favour of the Government.
|
July 10 |
Six weeks after Nepal' CA expired
without delivering a constitution, Nepal's last monarch Gyanendra
Shah has said he wants to be the king again. Shah expressed his
desire in an interview to a private television channel.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
said, "The former king does not seem to have learnt any lessons.
He will lose whatever facility he is getting."
The delay in clearing legal hurdles
and the refusal of the opposition parties to be part of the fresh
Constituent Assembly elections have minimised chances of the polls
being held on November 22, Election Commission (EC) officials
said.
|
July 11 |
Leaders of the main opposition
parties met President Ram Baran Yadav and requested him not to
give his approval if the Government comes up with a full-fledged
budget.
The UCPN-M and CPN-Maoist, the
breakaway party formed under Mohan Baidya's leadership, formed
a joint task force to settle the disputes regarding the ownership
of the party office seen after the party split.
|
July 12 |
Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun
said President Ram Baran Yadav has agreed to the Government request
for budgetary allocation for CA election and establishment of
Nepal Army's general directorate for security and development.
The government is preparing to
announce one-third budget for the fiscal year 2012-13 through
an ordinance on July 15 following an understanding between the
Government and the opposition parties.
|
July 14 |
The CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan
Baidya is all set to leave for China on July 15. He is heading
for China at the invitation of CPC. This will be Baidya's first
foreign visit after being the chairman of the new party.
Krishna Rai, a central committee
member of the newly formed CPN-Maoist, announced his return to
UCPN-M, saying that the breakaway party's leadership has failed
to justify the split. Organising a press conference, Rai said
the Mohan Baidya-led party lacked clear vision and that its future
was uncertain.
|
July 16 |
The UCPN-M plenum has been deferred
for July 17. The meeting earlier scheduled for July 16 (today)
has been postponed despite all the preparations due to tragic
accidents at separate places of the country.
Students affiliated to CPN-Maoist
(Mohan Baidya) aligned All Nepal National Independent Students'
Union (Revolutionary) carried out vandalism at two colleges, in
a bid to exert pressure for removing their foreign names.
The Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist
announced that the party would soon start carrying out 'vigilante
justice' against corrupt officials. Bharat Dhanuk, CPN-Maoist
Dadeldhura District in-charge, said that the party is starting
the campaign across the country as part of its preparation for
a 'people's revolt.'
Finance Minister Barshaman Pun
claimed that the new one-third budget introduced by the Government
on July 15 has opened the door to forge consensus to end the political
deadlock witnessed among the political parties.
|
July 17 |
The seventh central plenum of the
UCPN-M started in the capital. Party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda inaugurated the five-day plenum at Bhrikuti
Mandap. Over 5000 state committee-level party workers are participating
in the plenum. The plenum will review the party's performance
in relation to the peace process and the constitution-making apart
from working out the programmes and policies.
The sixth plenum of the party was
organised in Palungtar of Gorkha in November 2012 amid ideological
dispute. The Palungtar plenum had adopted peace and constitution
as its immediate priority while keeping the option of "people's
revolt" open.
Students affiliated with the Mohan
Baidya-led CPN-Maoist vandalised Kathmandu Institute of Science
and Technology (KIST) located at Buddhanagar, Kathmandu, accusing
it of charging exorbitant amount of fee.
UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
presented his political document in the party's central plenum
that kicked off in the capital. He presented his draft at the
start of the closed door session following the inaugural ceremony.
Fourteen groups have been formed to discuss the draft and pass
comments on it.
A meeting of Janajati Caucus
of the dissolved Constituent Assembly has decided to continue
its activities concerning issues of ethnic groups. The meeting
of former lawmakers affiliated with various political parties
agreed to give continuity to the Caucus in a transformed manner
in the face of CA dissolution.
|
July 18 |
The closed door discussion in the
ongoing central plenum of UCPN-M at Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu,
was adjourned due to the sit-in by former combatants, demanding
investigation into the alleged misappropriation of the funds meant
for them, along with other demands. Nearly thousand former PLA
members attending the plenum refused to continue the debate on
party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's political paper saying that
the party leadership should first address their demands.
CPN-UML concluded that there is no
alternative to holding fresh parliamentary election given the
current political situation of the country. A meeting of party
held at its headquarters in Balkhu had concluded that parliamentary
election should be carried out after forming a consensus Government.
C.P Gajurel, vice chairman of the
Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist warned of strong protest to remove
PM Baburam Bhattarai from his post if he does not step down himself.
Gajurel ruled out possibility of unification between his party
and UCPN-M.
The CPN-UML has relieved around a
dozen Janajati leaders of their responsibilities for what
it termed their "non-compliance with the party's official position
on federalism" and for remaining absent in party meetings for
a long time. However, the leaders will continue to hold their
party posts until another decision is taken, according to party
leaders.
|
July 19 |
In a lack of faith in the party leadership,
leaders attending the seventh plenum of the UCPN-M came down heavily
on party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam
Bhattarai. The Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Act
(BIPPA) signed by the Bhattarai-led government with India last
year and the Government's alleged plans to hand over the management
of the Tribhuwan International Airport to an Indian company were
the focus of the seventh plenum.
The UCPN-M formed a committee led
by leader Posta Bahadur Bogati to investigate the alleged misuse
of the funds released by the Government for the former combatants
and another committee led by Amik Sherchan to look into the financial
irregularities in the party.
|
July 20 |
The seventh plenum of the UCPN-M
turned into a battlefield for a while after a "minor dispute"
broke out between Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime
Minister Baburam Bhattarai factions. The incident comes hot on
the heels of top leaders of the party vowing to end factional
politics and keep the party united.
The decision of CPN-UML to strip
Janajati leaders of their responsibilities has further
hit the relationship between the party establishment and the dissident
leaders. The leaders termed the party's decision to not opt for
revival of the Constituent Assembly a conspiracy to take the country
politics to "regression."
|
July 21 |
The central plenum of the Maoist
party that concluded in Kathmandu had decided to dissolve all
of its central bodies and convene party's first general convention
in the Nepali month of Magh (Jan-Feb 2013).
|
July 22 |
The UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda said that PM Baburam Bhattarai would
not resign from the post until the political parties forge consensus.
Dahal said the resignation of the PM under the existing circumstances
would further deepen the political crisis in the country.
The EC called a meeting with the
top leaders of the three major political parties - UCPN-M Chairman
Dahal, Nepali Congress (NC) Vice-President Ram Chandra Paudel
and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Maoist Leninist (CPN-UML)
Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal - at its office in Kantipath to forge
consensus on amending the constitutional provisional and related
acts within a week or else it would be impossible to hold the
CA election within the stipulated time of November 22 this year.
|
July 23 |
President Ram Baran Yadav urged all
political parties to end the current deadlock at the earliest,
adding that the increase in rift among the political parties at
this critical juncture would be detrimental to the well-being
of the country.
Students affiliated to the ANNISU-R,
the student wing of the Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist, set ablaze
a school bus belonging to the Delhi Public School near the Seutipul
in Sunsari District. The school is located inside the premises
of the BPKIHS in Dharan.
Raut had said that the school
was targeted for high fees and the school curriculum did not comply
with the national curriculum. He also warned of further crackdown
on the school if it did not change the fee structure and curriculum.
The union has been pressuring those Plus Two level educational
institutions having English names to change their names and maintain
uniformity in fee structures.
Cadres of the Mohan Baidya-led
CPN-Maoist enforced general strike in Panchthar on the second
day. Normal life in the District has been crippled as the Maoist
cadres enforced the bandh since July 22 accusing NC activists
of killing Gajendra Jabegu, a member of their party. They demanded
compensation for the bereaved family and guilty be brought to
book. However, NC denied the charges.
Revealing the internal differences
within the UCPN-M over the Bilateral Investment Protection and
Promotion Agreement (BIPPA) signed with India during last year,
party's vice chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha
said that the agreement should be "corrected" as it is not in
national interest.
|
July 24 |
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
renewed his pledge to provide identity cards and state facilities
to those injured and disabled during Maoist insurgency on the
basis of their identity cards.
Police arrested District in-charge
of the ANNISU-R Prahlad Raut in connection with the arson incident.
The main opposition parties, Nepali
Congress and CPN-UML decided to hold "decisive talks" with the
UCPN-M leadership on key issues such as election and formation
of unity government. Nepali Congress vice president Ram Chandra
Poudel said after the meeting of the senior leaders of the two
parties at the CPN-UML headquarters Balkhu that decisive talks
would be held with the Maoists on July 26.
senior leader of CPN-UML Madhav
Kumar Nepal has said that no political force would last long if
it attempts to run the country by infringing fundamental norms
and values of democracy. The leader said the UCPN-M was effortful
to run the state mechanisms by going against the democratic norms
and values.
|
July 25 |
Admitting that holding fresh polls
for the CA in November was not possible under the present circumstances,
ruling UCPN-M leaders, including Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai,
have sought the consent of opposition parties for fixing a new
poll date in the coming yea. But leaders from main opposition
parties NC and CPN-UML, at a three-party meeting, turned down
the UCPN-M proposal outright. Prime Minister Bhattarai, Chairman
Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, Deputy Prime Minister and party
Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha from UCPN-M, President Sushil
Koirala, Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Paudel from the NC
and Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Bamdev Gautam
from CPN-UML, among other leaders, held a meeting at the UML party
office at Balkhu. NC and UML leaders insisted that the contentious
issues can be discussed only after the formation of a coalition
government with the major political parties on board. CPN-UML
Secretary Shankar Pokharel said that resignation of Prime Minister
Bhattarai and formation of a consensus government are preconditions
for ending the ongoing political stalemate.
|
July 26 |
General Secretary of the newly
formed CPN-Maoist, Ram Bahadur Thapa, said his party was not going
to reach any formal alliance with the Nepali Congress and the
CPN-UML. Thapa also came down heavily against the Bhattarai Government,
saying that no political consensus is likely until the government
stepped down. He said only a roundtable conference of all the
political forces could find a solution to the current stalemate.
According to him, the CPN-Maoist is ready to discuss any option
- fresh election to CA, parliamentary election or revival of dissolved
CA - provided there is a roundtable debate.
Senior leader of CPN-UML Madhav
Kumar Nepal has said it will be impossible to forge consensus
among the political parties to end the current political impasse
until Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai steps down.
'General secretary' of CPN-Maoist
Ram Bahadur Thapa said his party was not going to reach any formal
alliance with the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML.
|
July 27 |
China is concerned over the growing
"foreign interference" in Nepal in the pretext of adopting federalism
in the country.Mohan Vaidya, 'chairman' of CPN-Maoist, a breakaway
faction of UCPN-Maoist, who has just returned from a goodwill
visit to China, said, "The Chinese leaders have expressed concern
over the increasing foreign interference in Nepal in the pretext
of federating the states.
President Ram Baran Yadav reminded
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai that elections would not be possible
without broad political understanding.
|
July 28 |
Acting chief election commissioner
(CEC) Nil Kantha Upreti has said the two election ordinances passed
by the government will not be enough to conduct the elections.
|
July 29 |
CPN-Maoist has directed its party
organisations to launch a number of protests to "expose" the wrongdoings
of the government and to create a wave of agitation in sectors
including educational institutions, hotels and industries.The
news report states that CPN-Maoist has issued a circular to its
sister organisations to launch "aggressive protest programmes"
to widen its influence.
|
July 30 |
According to a top Police source
Kathmandu valley, Nepal is flooded with FICN of the denomination
of INR 100 and INR 500 is being used by black marketeers who have
connections in India,. The source claimed that the fake currencies
are very hard to recognise as they are almost identical to the
original ones.
|
July 31 |
The 'brigade commander' of the
Fifth Division of the PLA Dipendra Shahi said that they would
not allow those leaders who wanted the PLA to surrender on the
pretext that they were disqualified. He further said some leaders
within the UCPN-M, CPN-Maoist and opposition parties, who are
against the fighters, are in the target of attack. Shahi warned,
"That the attack could be either physical or opinion-based." Fighters
who fought for 10 years for the welfare of people have been imprisoned
in cantonments and have been disrespectfully behaved, he alleged.
|
August 1 |
Three students were critically
injured when a clash erupted between the students affiliated to
ANNFSU, student wing of CPN-UML and students of ANNISU-Revolutionary,
student wing of UCPN-Maoist at Musikot-based Khalnga Multiple
Campus in Rukum District. Those injured in the clashes are ANNISU-Revolutionary,
Rukum District member Sushil Bista, Campus Unit chairman Sundar
Sharma and Campus Unit member Binod Oli. They have received deep
cut on their heads.
The UCPN-Maoist has decided to
start "serious talks" with the opposition parties for a package
agreement on constitution, power sharing and election.
|
August 2 |
UCPN-M decided to form a 251-member
national convention organizing committee, flouting its own statute
which calls for a maximum of 175 members in such a committee.
The party though had formed a 175-member committee earlier; it
added 76 more members in the committee following pressure from
state committees. When asked, party UCPN-M spokesman Dina Nath
Sharma said, "Party spirit is more important than the number."
There are 31 women, 13 Madhesis and nine Dalits in the expanded
general convention organizing committee.
|
August 3 |
The decision of UCPN-M to form
a 251-member national convention organizing committee has received
criticism from different factions in the party. Sources claimed
that the cadres of Baburam Bhattarai had expressed dissatisfaction
over the selection process through various means of communication.
Some 11 leaders of Bhojpura State Committee including Rautahat
District in-charge Devendra Patel, Bara District in-charge Hari
Chaulagain 'Lalkiran', former MP Satya Narayan Bhagat, former
minister, Jwala Kumari Sah and Uddhab Pokhrel were preparing to
quit the party by organizing a press conference at Birgunj.
NC leader Bilamendra Nidhi said
the next election should be for the CA as the constitution drafted
by any other means would not be acceptable to all. Bilamendra
Nidhi's statement contradicts the opinion of majority of the district
presidents of the NC, who had suggested the party leadership to
go for parliamentary elections instead of CA elections.
|
August 4 |
UCPN-M decided to hold its general
convention from January 27, 2013. A meeting of the general convention
organising committee held at the party headquarters, Peris Danda,
fixed the general convention date. However, the end date of the
general convention was rather unclear. According to Dina Nath
Sharma, who is now replaced by Agni Sapkota as party spokesperson,
the general convention would conclude by February 12. Similarly,
the party will conduct the conventions of its village, district
and state committees by January 13, starting from October 2, 2011.
The meeting also changed the responsibilities
of the central leaders according to which Dahal will command the
entire affairs of the party at the centre while Prime Minister
Baburam Bhattarai will look after matters with the government.
Likewise, Krishna Bahadur Mahara has been appointed head of the
organisation department while Post Bahadur Bogati will oversee
matters with the party headquarters. Dina Nath Sharma has been
given the responsibility of intellectual department.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav is
scheduled to hold consultation with the top leaders of 27 political
parties including opposition Nepali Congress and CPN-UML as a
part of his initiation to end current political impasse of the
country on August 5.
|
August 5 |
JTMM, a Terai-based armed group
led by Bhagat Singh, has agreed to handover its weapons to the
local authority following the talks with Government's representatives
in Pakali of Sunsari District. As a gesture of commitment to the
agreement, the armed group handed over seven sets of pistols and
a revolver to District Administration Office, Sunsari, after the
talks. Signing a four-point agreement with the Government, the
armed group has agreed to collect all of its weapons and hand
over to the government within 20 days. As per the agreement, the
Government will start the process of releasing the armed outfit's
cadres from various jails and will also withdraw the cases filed
against its cadres.
The SC scrapped a writ seeking
an order to the President Ram Baran Yadav to remove Baburam Bhattarai
and initiate the process for the formation of new Council of Ministers.
The Court scrapped the writ saying that there was no any reason
to issue show cause notice on a complete political issue at a
time when there is absence of Constituent Assembly and the Parliament.
Political leaders and activists
argued that even though the proposal of forming a single party
in Madhes is a welcome one, the idea will find it difficult to
bear fruit. Sadbhawana Party General Secretary Manish Suman said
the proposal of forming a single party was a positive move. However,
he expressed doubts over how such a party would be able to accommodate
leaders who are all ?vying for power?. TMLP vice chairman Hridayesh
Tripathy said formation of a single party in Madhes was necessary
to ensure the identity and rights of Madhesi people. He clarified
that his party was not claiming the leadership of such a party.
|
August 6 |
Normal life in three Districts
of Kathmandu Valley have been affected due to a chakkajam
(vehicular shutdown) enforced by the CPN-UML aligned YAN for the
second day on August 6.YAN, supported by 16 youth wings of various
parties, is imposing the vehicular traffic from 6am to 10am in
the Valley since August 5 demanding the resignation of caretaker
PM Baburam Bhattarai at the earliest to make way for a new national
consensus government.
The UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda has stepped up efforts to strike a
"working alliance" with the Mohan Baidya led Communist
Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist, Baidya). Leaders from both
the parties claim such an alliance will prepare ground for party
unity in the future.
Dahal is also planning to "re-strengthen"
relations with Madheshi parties and Janajati constituencies,
according to sources. Dahal also plans to enhance strategic alliance
with the SLMM so that their power to bargain with the NC and the
CPN-UML gets a boost.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that issues of
nationalism and sovereignty are still a matter of challenge to
Nepal. He also said that Nepal?s political parties were capable
of handling these challenges if they come together. ?We cannot
always blame others for interfering in Nepal?s affairs. But we
will never compromise with others on the issue of nationalism,?
he stressed.
Nepal Police busted a FICN racket
arresting three people, including two Pakistani nationals, and
seized FICN with face value over INR 2.9 million from a hotel
in Kathmandu. According to an official, the FICN were in INR 500
and INR 1,000 denominations. The arrested were identified as Muhammod
Naee Mullah, 47, Sohail Mohamad Ismail, 40, both Pakistani nationals
and Rehmat Basir Dhobi, 48, a resident of Bara District in southern
Nepal.
|
August 7 |
Reacting to PM Baburam Bhattarai?s
?foreign intervention? remark, CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal
on August 6 asked the PM to clarify his remarks. On August 3,
PM Bhattarai had spoken extensively about ?foreign intervention?,
indirectly admitting that intervention in the country?s internal
affairs was growing of late. He had said that the ?key to run
the country is somewhere else?. ?You already know about regional
and international dynamics. It is not easy to get things done
the way one would like,? Bhattarai had said.
Khanal said that his party would
not accept ethnic federalism abandoning CPN-UML?s official line
of multi-ethnic federalism. Instead, his party ?is ready for fresh
polls? after the formation of a national consensus government.
Reiterating that the present government should quit, he said a
consensus government is the only way out of the present political
crisis. He warned that the government would be forcibly removed
through protests if the UCPN-M did not come forward for consensus.
The UCPN-M said that there is
no meaning in demanding resignation of the PM as the government
has already turned into a caretaker. Hinting at the NC and the
CPN-UML, the party also said that there is a ?serious conspiracy?
to impose the parliamentary system in the country, sabotaging
the agenda of the CA. Newly appointed UCPN-M spokesperson Agni
Sapkota said that the five-point agreement signed by the parties
on May 3, 2012, was no longer relevant with the dissolution of
the CA on May 27.
|
August 8 |
YAN, the youth wing of the CPN-UML,
decided to allow the vehicles of educational institutions to ply
on the roads during their chakkajam (vehicular strike)
in the morning of August 8 (today). A meeting of the YAN leaders
in the evening of August 7 decided not to restrict school and
college buses. The YAN also reduced the four-hour chakkajam
to three hours in Kathmandu valley, starting from 6 am. However,
the duration of chakkajam outside the valley will be as
it is, YAN vice president Jhapat Rawal said. The YAN has been
enforcing chakkajam from August 5 to pressure the government
to step down.
The CPN?UML leader Prithivi Subba
Gurung said that Janajatis were left with no option but
to form their own party as major political parties NC and the
CPN-UML turned a blind eye to the issues concerning the indigenous
nationalities. He said there was pressing need for a separate
party of the indigenous nationalities to ensure their rights.
A national gathering of NEFIN held in the first week of July had
decided to form a new party on August 9. CPN-UML has already relieved
Gurung and other senior Janajati leaders off crucial responsibilities
inside the party to punish them for criticizing the party for
its stand against identity-based federalism.
NWPP chairman Narayan Man Bijukchhe
urged President Ram Baran Yadav to take a step to end political
deadlock of the country. He said that President should not remain
silent to prevent the country from further political crisis. President
Yadav on August 5 had consulted leaders of 27 political parties,
including NC and CPN-UML to find way outs to the current political
impasse in the country.
|
August 9 |
Janajati (indigenous people)
leaders and intellectuals announced the proposed name and the
manifesto of the proposed party, the day the country marked the
International Day of Indigenous People. The proposed ?Social Democratic
Pluri-National Party? will aim to include people from all social,
political and ethnic backgrounds, leaders said. The manifesto
aims to form a ?national alternative political force? that would
accommodate people of every background, irrespective of caste,
class, culture, location and creed. It has included a provision
of group leadership so as to avoid a possible power tussle within
the party. The group leadership will be rotated to give equal
opportunity to all, leaders said.
Chaitanya said the new party will
be finally formed within three months after they collate public
opinion from across the country. A 101-member taskforce has been
formed to collect public opinion. The leaders? plan to announce
the party formation was postponed at the behest of some influential
leaders like CPN-UML vice chairman Ashok Rai. The leaders cited
lack of groundwork in forming a new party.
The ruling parties? UCPN-M and
SLMM?decided to form a separate alliance of pro-federalist forces.
A meeting of the ruling and certain fringe parties decided to
form a ?broader alliance of federalist supporters. Altogether
21 political parties including the UCPN-Maoist, Madheshi
parties aligned to SLMM and other fringe parties marked their
presence at the meeting.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
said he is ready to step down provided there?s ?guarantee? of
identity-based constitution.
CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwor
Pokharel as saying that his party has no greed to take the government
leadership but is ready to take charge if NC backs out. He urged
the NC leaders to solve their internal conflicts if they want
to lead the government. Claiming that the Baburam Bhattarai-led
government is degrading every day, Pokharel said that the President
is becoming more active to compensate for the same.
|
August 10 |
The CPN-Maoist-Baidya announced
an alliance with seven other fringe left parties to push its demand
for leadership of the next Government. CPN-M-Baidya vice chairman
CP Gajurel said at a press conference organised to inform about
the formation of the Federal Republican Front. Gajurel heads the
Front. He also said the CPN-M-Baidya was firm in its demand for
a roundtable conference in order to find a way out of the current
political crisis. The parties in the front include Revolutionary
Communist Party of Nepal, CPN-Unified, Tamsaling Nepal Rastriya
Dal, Nepal Nagarik Party, Tharu Mukti Party and Jajamukti Party.
UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda said that formation of new alliance to press
for identity-based federalism would not disrupt the environment
for consensus among the political parties. Dahal said that the
proposed alliance would help build trust instead.
Vice President Paramananda Jha
said that reinstatement of the dissolved CA would be the best
option to end current political deadlock of the country. He also
suggested the political parties to revive the CA and endorse amended
Interim Constitution through it to give outlet to the country.
According to him, revival of the CA was compulsory to amend Interim
Constitution to hold the election as well. ?Only the political
parties can resolve the current political crisis,? he added, ?President
is also making efforts for possible way outs.?
|
August 11 |
Jaya Narayan Pasawan alias
Barud Tyagi, ?commander? of JTMM, was killed in retaliatory firing
by the Police at Belaekdara along the Samasi-Jaleshwor road in
Mahottari District. Pasawan was the outfit's ?commander? for Mahottari,
Sarlahi and Dhanusha Districts. Superintendent of Police Suraj
KC said Constable Surendra Chaudhary was injured in the incident.
Police seized a country-made pistol and its two ammunitions from
the victim.
Youth wings aligned with 21 opposition
parties announced additional programmes of protest to exert pressure
on PM Baburam Bhattarai to step down. The protest programmes include
disrupting the functions organised by the government to mark the
Youth Day and shutting down academic institutions with English
names on August 15, bringing out 'mockery rally' against the PM
and demonstrating in the district administration offices of all
75 districts on Augusts 16, conducting public polls on the legitimacy
of the government August 18 and submitting the results of public
polls to the President on August 20. The youth leaders said they
would continue joint protest until PM Bhattarai resigns from his
post.
|
August 13 |
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said that he was ready to quit
"any minute" provided there was an alternative to the his government.
Leaders of ruling UCPN-M, United UDMF and 21 other fringe parties
have decided to announce the formation of Federal Democratic Alliance
of "pro-federal forces" on August 15. A meeting of the ruling
coalition was held to discuss the formation of proposed alliance
of Maoists, Madhesh based parties and fringe parties (that want
the establishment of federal Nepal) until the next election took
a decision to that effect.
MJF, Republican, a constituent of UDMF, said that the plans
and policies, federal council, among others will also be announced
from the assembly of pro-federal forces on August 15. The meeting
also decided to change the name of the alliance to Federal Democratic
Republican Alliance and discussed the ToR for forming it.
CPN-UML leader K.P Oli said that even as his party was ready
to back the NC to head the next government the NC party would
not able to run the government. Oli claimed that CPN-UML was the
only party that could effectively lead the government given the
ongoing tussle between the UCPN-M and the NC. In what contradicted
the protests being organised by CPN-UML's Youth Association demanding
Prime Minister Bhattarai's resignation, Oli said there was no
point demanding the resignation until there was consensus along
with an agreement on the prime ministerial candidate.
Former PLA combatants under the seventh PLA camp in Kailali have
left their cantonments in droves. They said they can no longer
lead a cloistered life waiting for the integration work to make
headway.
A few combatants remain in the Talband-based main camp while
two other satellite camps are vacant, NA Colonel Arjun Khadka
said. He said the satellite camps at Masuritya and Chisapani are
vacant since August 12. He said their commanders have stopped
communicating with the camp. There are 319 combatants under the
seventh division camp.
The CPN-UML instructed its leaders from the centre to the local
level to focus on preparations for upcoming fresh polls. Issuing
an intra-party circular to cadres across the country and aboard,
CPN-UML has asked all eligible voters to be registered with the
new digital voter registration campaign launched by the Election
Commission. CPN-UML leaders said the circular was issued after
concluding that the parties had no alternative to fresh polls
given the dissolution of the CA without a new constitution. The
circular stated that CPN-UML is in favour of parliamentary elections
with the mandate of completing the remaining tasks of a new constitution.
|
August 14 |
Cadres of NC and CPN-UML waved
black flags at Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai at Banepa when
he was there on his way to Dhulikhel to attend a programme organised
by KU.
|
August 15 |
UCPN-Maoist-led FDRA of 21 political
parties was formally announced. UCPN-M 'chairman' Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda heads the alliance. The FDRA consists of all
the allies in the ruling coalition, including the Madheshi Front
and some fringe political parties. Prem Bahadur Singh, a former
minister and the chairman of Loktantrik Samajbadi Dal, has been
appointed its spokesperson.
UCPN-M, Chairman, Dahal during
the occasion said that the alliance was formed in order to press
the agenda of federalism and that it was not targeted against
any particular party or parties. He said it was going to be a
long-term strategic alliance. Claiming that other parties, including
the Mohan Baidya led CPN-Maoist-Baidya would also join the FDRA
eventually, 'Prachanda' reiterated that the government was not
going to resign until there was consensus between the parties.
Dahal also said fresh election to the CA was the first option
but the alliance would also be ready for reinstatement of the
dissolved CA for a brief period provided the parties arrived at
an understanding on promulgation of the constitution.
14 heads of various NC party departments
and two NC zonal coordinators have resigned en masse from their
new posts, expressing dissatisfaction at the low representation
of Deuba faction in the new bodies. The disgruntled leaders of
the Deuba camp led by party central leader Min Bahadur Biswarkma
submitted their group resignation to NC President Sushil Koirala
at the party central office in Sanepa. The NC president had constituted
12 different departments and appointed heads of all 42 departments
two weeks earlier, giving 13 of them to Deuba faction.
Senior CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar
Nepal said the UCPN-Maoist-led FDRA announced would only invite
political confrontation. The CPN-UML leader also claimed that
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai would be removed from his post
through a street movement.
|
August 16 |
NC decided to seek a review on
SC verdict on a corruption case against former minister and NC
leader Khum Bahadur Khadka. The NC Central Committee meeting held
at party headquarters in Sanepa Lalitpur and decided to seek a
judicial review on the SC verdict that convicted Khadka of corruption
and slapped 18 months jail sentence and Nepali Rupee 9.5 million
penalty on August 14.The NC further said that the SC verdict was
biased as it revoked the Special Court's five-year-old decision
that acquitted Khadka.
UCPN-Maoist 'chairman' Pushpa
Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, who heads the newly formed FDRA
of 20 political parties, claimed that the alliance would be instrumental
in finding a channel to the current political stalemate.
|
August 17 |
President Ram Baran Yadav turned
down the two election-related ordinances, presented to him by
the Government on July 27 related to the amendment to the Election
Act and the Election to the CA. According to the President Office,
President did not see any relevance of introducing the ordinance
at the moment in view of the Election Commission's official notice
to the Government that the conducting the election on November
22 would not be possible due to lack of political consensus and
necessary laws.
UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda, who heads newly formed FDRA, suggested NC and CPN-UML
to form a separate alliance.
Rift between rival factions in
NC has further widened as the party establishment faction took
various decisions amidst opposition from Sher Bahadur Deuba faction.
The NC Central Working Committee endorsed the proposal of party
president Sushil Koirala on the basis of majority vote despite
the objection from the rival faction. The meeting passed the proposal
to create 12 more departments, make appointments to 42 departments,
form various committees including Central Disciplinary Committee,
Central Election Committee, Central Audit Committee and two directive
committees to hold general conventions of the sister wings.
|
August 19 |
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda and PM Baburam Bhattarai have agreed to resend the
two election-related ordinances rejected by President Ram Baran
Yadav. The move is likely to escalate the already fragile tensions
between the President and the Prime Minister. A meeting of the
two leaders also concluded that the President was crossing his
'constitutional limits' by taking political decisions. Immediately
after his arrival from a three-day visit outside the Kathmandu
valley, Dahal met Bhattarai to discuss ways to tackle the President's
rejection of the ordinances. According to a source, the two leaders
concluded that if the party failed to raise its voice against
the President's move, similar steps could be taken in future.
Talking to reporters outside Kathmandu,
Dahal said that the President committed a mistake by rejecting
the ordinances. Maoist Spokesman Agni Sapkota said that the Government
had begun preparations for resending the ordinances.
Two days after refusing to endorse
two ordinances related to election forwarded by the Government,
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav defended his move saying that he
did so as the Election Commission had already told the government
that conducting the Constituent Assembly polls on 22 November
was impossible.
17 youth and student wings affiliated
to various political parties including NC and CPN-UML staged demonstration
in front of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's official residence
in Baluwatar demanding his resignation.
PMO has told the SC that it was
seeking an urgent solution to the difficulties seen in appointments
to the constitutional bodies, including justices in the apex court
and ambassadors, as per the spirit of the Interim Constitution.
Furnishing a written reply to the apex court on August 14 in response
to the court's show-cause notice, PMO Secretary Jay Mukunda Khanal
stated that the difficulty in appointing members to the constitutional
posts arose in the absence of parliament. Khanal has stated that
as of now there is no way to appoint members to the constitutional
bodies without following the constitutional parliamentary hearing
process. Article 155 of the Interim Constitution stipulates that
officials appointed to the constitutional bodies, including the
SC and ambassadors, face parliamentary hearing prior to their
legal appointment.
|
August 20 |
DPM and Foreign Minister Narayan
Kaji Shrestha said that UCPN-Maoist is ready to quit Government
if the parties forge agreement on peace and constitution. Shrestha
said his party is open to discussion on a formation of a new government
if that creates an enabling atmosphere towards forging national
consensus.
DPM further termed the President's
refusal to endorse two ordinances related to election that was
forwarded by the Government as "unfortunate". He said there is
great risk that regressive forces might raise their ugly head
and the achievements gained so far might be all lost if there
is a clash of interest between the President and Government.
CPN-UML termed the rejection of
the election ordinances by President Ram Baran Yadav as a welcome
move. Issuing a press statement, CPN-UML 'vice chairman' , Bam
Dev Gautam said that criticizing the President for turning down
the ordinances is "undemocratic and authoritarian act" and that
the President's move was nothing but usual.
NC leader Ram Saran Mahat blamed
his party's three main leaders - 'president' Sushil Koirala, 'vice
president' Ram Chandra Poudel and Sher Bahadur Deuba - for failing
to give a direction to the party. Mahat further said the NC had
not been able to give an outlet to the current political stalemate
because of clash of personal interests of the three key leaders.
|
August 21 |
The Police unveiled its special
security campaign effective from August 21 evening to curb criminal
activities in capital Kathmandu. Metropolitan Police Range Hanumandhoka
disclosed new security strategy dividing the capital city into
five sectors. The security teams will be equipped with weapons,
handcuffs, notebook, and photos [of known suspects] and necessary
record of the suspects who are at large.
in a rejoinder to UCPN-M chairman
Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda's recent remarks accusing him
of posing hurdle in the efforts to find consensus between the
parties, NC President Sushil Koirala said consensus has not evolved
because of Dahal's 'conspiracy'.
NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba said
he was not interested to be Prime Minister of next Government
if it would be formed on the basis of majority, instead of consensus.
Deuba, who is also projected by a section of the NC as the prime
ministerial candidate for the next Government, said the leadership
of consensus Government must go to the NC and that he would not
go for the prime minister's post if it's formed without consensus.
CPN-Maoist-Baidya and RPP-Nepal
chairman Kamal Thapa held discussion on the possible way outs
to current political deadlock of the country. The two leaders
also shared their views regarding the issue of nationalism. The
pro-monarchy leader also stressed on the need for the formation
of election Government to hold fresh elections of the CA to promulgate
new constitution during the meeting with Baidya. On the occasion,
Baidya informed Thapa about newly formed alliance under the leadership
of his party saying that the alliance was formed to struggle against
anti-nationalist forces.
|
August 22 |
The Supreme Court ordered the
NA to halt the ongoing recruitment process for Army officer candidates
for the time being. A single bench of Justice Tahir Ali Ansari
issued the interim order which effectively bars the NA to conduct
any further exams for Army officer candidates who passed written
exams recently. The apex court issued the order in response to
a writ petition filed by Rakesh Yadav against the publication
of result of written exams for officer level in the Army on July
25. In the petition, he argued that NA conducted the exams only
for candidates under the open category but not for those under
inclusive category.
NC President Sushil Koirala said
that his party claimed leadership of the new national consensus
government as it has the ability to forge ahead by uniting everyone.
He said that since other political parties have already experienced
government leadership, it is now the turn of NC to take the reins.
He also said that the leftist party has been violating past agreements
repeatedly and is intent upon capturing state power.
RJP chairman and former Prime
Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa said that the country would face
unimaginable catastrophe if the consensus is not forged among
the political parties to resolve current political deadlock. He
also accused the leaders of major parties of pushing the country
towards further crisis to fulfill their own interest.
|
August 23 |
The term of the Special Committee
for Supervision, Rehabilitation and Integration of former Maoist
combatants has been extended by three more months. The Cabinet
decided to extend the term of the Special Committee putting forth
the clause that the Army integration work should be completed
within the extended three months. The Special Committee's term
had expired on August 16. The government decision to extend Special
Committee's term comes amidst accusation by opposition parties
that the government is trying to move ahead with the Army integration
work arbitrarily by not extending the Committee's term.
UCPN-Maoist has decided to take
initiation to restart obstructed army integration process. A meeting
of party office bearers, which was also attended by the commanders
of the former PLA held at party headquarters in Perisdanda, took
the decision to restart the works related to the integration within
two days.
NWPP 'chairman' Narayan Man said
that President Ram Baran Yadav should form a new government under
his own leadership. Bijukchhe has been advocating for presidential
rule as a solution to the current impasse.
President Ram Baran Yadav asked
two Cabinet ministers not to visit him to lobby for promulgation
of ordinances without first striking consensus on the political
front. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had sent two of his deputies-Bijaya
Kumar Gachhadar and Narayan Kaji Shrestha-to take the President
into confidence before forwarding new ordinances.
NC CWC member Arjun Narsingh KC
said that referendum on the unsettled issues would be the best
option to resolve existing dispute among various political parties,
instead of reviving the CA.
|
August 24 |
Unidentified assailants, killed
'General secretary' of the MJF-affiliated FWU, Rama Shankar Mandal
in Birgunj, area of Parsa District.
CPN-UML leader, K.P Sharma Oli
said that the opposition parties will not wait more than a week
for the UCPN-Maoist-led government to do something to reach political
consensus. He warned that the government would be brought down
through agitation if it failed to arrive at a consensus by August
30.
Unidentified assailants, killed
'General secretary' of the MJF-affiliated FWU, Rama Shankar Mandal
in Birgunj, area of Parsa District. CPN-UML leader, K.P Sharma
Oli said that the opposition parties will not wait more than a
week for the UCPN-Maoist-led government to do something to reach
political consensus. He warned that the government would be brought
down through agitation if it failed to arrive at a consensus by
August 30.
FDRA of the ruling parties led
by UCPN-Maoist has decided to organise a broad debate with all
the political parties and representatives of the civil society
on September 4.
|
August 26 |
UCPN-Maoist, NC and CPN-UML agreed
to move ahead as per "politics of national consensus" after doing
away with the misunderstanding and differences among themselves.
During the meeting, NC and UML also expressed dissatisfaction
with the Maoists for portraying them as anti-federalists.
CPN-Maoist 'vice president' C.P
Gajurel accused the UCPN-Maoist's Pushpa Kumar Dahal aka Prachanda
led FDRA of working at the behest of anti-nationalist force and
foreign power.
CPN-UML has criticized the present
Baburam Bhattarai led Government as a "complete failure" and termed
its various works and activities as "mockery of rule of law".
The party also accused the government of "plundering state coffer"
and going against national interest.
|
August 27 |
AISC responsible for supervision,
integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants, is holding
meeting to find way out of the halted integration process. The
news report states that AISC member representing from the opposition
parties will also attend the meeting despite their protest against
the Government.
Kaski District committee of UCPN-M
has admitted taking "donations" from the contractor involved in
construction of international airport in Pokhara. UCPN-Maoist
Kaski in charge Jhalakpani Tiwari said that on behalf of his party
he took donations from the contractor.
AISC has decided to resume the
stalled integration of former Maoist combatants from September
6.
UCPN-Maoist 'chairman' Pushpa
Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda said he was encouraged by the resumption
of talks with the NC and the CPN-UML on August 26 and that he
was confident of a political outlet soon.
|
August 28 |
PM Baburam Bhattarai on completion
of one year in office defended the actions of the Government and
ruled out resignation. Bhattarai claimed that he made all possible
attempts to reach out to the leaders of the opposition parties
for consensus. PM said that the parties now have no choice other
than arriving at a consensus and said he was fully prepared to
make way for a consensus government, but resigning without consensus
might invite chaos in the country.
CPN-UML politburo member, Surendra
Pandey has warned that there is "high risk" of either the President
or NA capturing absolute power in the country.
CPN-Maoist 'vice chairman' CP
Gajurel said that there was no possibility of unification between
his party and the UCPN-Maoist.
|
August 29 |
The three major political parties
namely, UCPN-Maoist, NC and CPN-UML have on decided to intensify
meetings and discussions among themselves to end the current political
and constitutional crisis facing the country.
Three major parties - the UCPN-M,
NC, and CPN-UML - met and agreed to intensify their dialogue to
find an agreement. The meeting decided to delegate the responsibility
of arriving at a deal to the top leaders.
Khimlal Devkota, a UCPN-M leader
claimed that the opposition had run out of options. "They kept
prodding the president to do something but the constitution does
not allow it.
AISC for Supervision, Integration
and Rehabilitation of Maoist combatants resolved the remaining
contentious issues of integration. Disputes over age and educational
qualifications had stalled the process of selection of 3100 remaining
combatants in cantonments into the NA.
UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda said that the parties should be ready to go
to the polls if they failed to agree on the key issues of the
constitution in negotiations taking place in the next few days.
Dahal said this while speaking at an interaction organised by
Former Lawmakers Forum in Kathmandu.
|
August 30 |
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav urged
the major political parties to immediately build an agreement
on the disputed issues that exists among them and come up with
a final answer regarding either holding election to get fresh
mandate of the people or reinstate the Constituent Assembly.
Speaking at the same programme,
NC president Sushil Koirala said he was hopeful of consensus evolving
soon as the parties had resumed talks. He also reiterated that
the Government should step down in order to create an environment
of trust.
CPN-UML 'chairman' Sushil Koirala
blamed Maoists for the present crisis and that all sides should
now realise the need for consensus.
CPN-UML is set to hold talks with
dissident Janajatis (indigenous people) and Madheshi leaders,
which leaders from party establishment said will be the "last
chance" for them to decide whether to stay in the party or part
ways. The party leadership is reportedly preparing to clarify
its position on the nine-point demand of the dissidents, which
chiefly concerns their demand for single identity-based federalism.
TVOS objected to the decision
to submit the TRC Ordinance 2069 and the Commission for Investigation
on Forced Disappearances Ordinance 2069 to the President. The
Society objected saying the Government had unilaterally submitted
the bills neglecting the earlier bills tabled in the parliament
after holding discussions with stakeholders.
United Nations Resident & Humanitarian
Coordinator Rober Piper said that the ordinance on establishing
the commission to investigate the war-era human rights abuses,
which has been forwarded to the President by the Government, could
"severely undermine access to justice for victims".
|
September 1 |
JTMM group led by Bhagat Singh,
handed over the weapons including 63 sets of homemade pistol and
guns to District Police Office Sunsari. Earlier, on August 4,
the Government and JTMM had signed a four-point agreement.
|
September 2 |
NC has decided to boycott the
interaction programme scheduled to be organised on September 4
in Kathmandu by the FDRA, led by UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda. NC's CWC meeting held at party headquarters
in Sanepa (Kathmandu) took the decision. FDRA has prepared to
hold the interaction among all the political stakeholders including
civil society members in a bid to find possible way outs to the
existing political deadlock facing the country.
|
September 3 |
UCPN-Maoist 'chairman' Pushpa
Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda and CPN-Maoist-Baidya 'chairperson'
Mohan Baidya agreed to share the property of the party between
the two parties. A meeting of the taskforce formed for resolving
the dispute over the ownership of party property Monday morning
took the decision to this effect. According to the agreement,
the party property will be shared based on strength of the respective
parties from center to District level.
CPN-Maoist-Baidya is likely to
hand over a 70-point demand to the Government as it prepares to
take to the streets. According to CPN-Maoist 'vice chairman' C.P
Gajurel, the party is going to add 30 demands to the 40 points
the former Maoist party had presented to the then Government headed
by Sher Bahadur Deuba before launching the insurgency in 1996.
|
September 4 |
Opposition parties including the
NC, CPN-Maoist-Mohan Baidya and CPN-UML boycotted the all-party
interaction organised by UCPN-Maoist led FDRA. Next FDRA meet
is set to be on September 6.
|
September 5 |
CPN-Maoist-Baidya 'chairman' Mohan
Baidya said that his party was going to present a 70-point demand
before launching a peaceful protest movement to make it to power.
He further warned that his party would take up arms if the demands
were not addressed.
NC rejected the UCPN-Maoist chairman
Pushpa Kumar Dahal's proposal to reinstate the dissolved CA.
Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction
stated that only fifty percent of the physical infrastructures
damaged during the ten-year long conflict have been reconstructed
so far. Out of the 5,560 physical structures damaged during the
conflict, only 2,883 have been reconstructed.
Supreme Court ordered the Nepal
Army not to recruit any officers in the 15 seats allocated to
the Madheshi community under the inclusive category,. The division
bench of Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi and Justice Sushila Karki
issued the stay order in response to a petition filed by Rakesh
Yadav.
|
September 6 |
USA has removed the UCPN-M from
its global terrorist organisations list, stating that the party
has demonstrated a credible commitment to pursuing the peace and
reconciliation process in Nepal.
CPN-UML published a 'white paper'
on the failure of the CA to promulgate the new constitution, mainly
blaming the UCPN-M and the Madhesi Front for the CA's termination.
CPN-UML also cited reasons such as 'over-expectation' from the
CA, agreements signed outside of the CA and the activities of
different pressure groups within the CA for the constitutional
fiasco.
Former UCPN-M combatants led by
deputy battalion commander Bhaktaraj Thapa who have chosen voluntary
retirement submitted letter of memorandum to AISC putting forward
various demands.
|
September 7 |
Chief Secretary Lila Mani Paudel
said that political instability was stifling the efforts to boost
the morale of civil servants and make service delivery effective.
666 former combatants of the UCPN-M have filled forms for their
integration into Nepali Army in all cantonments.
|
September 8 |
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
threatened to take "stern step" if President, Ram Baran Yadav
rejected the ordinances presented to him by the Government for
certification.
Nepali Congress 'vice president'
Ram Chandra Poudel has said that revival of the dissolved CA was
crucial to end the existing political deadlock in the country.
|
September 10 |
CPN-Maoist-Mohan Baidya submitted
a memorandum with the list of 70 demands to the Government. A
delegation led by CPN-Maoist-Mohan Baidya's 'vice chairman' C.P
Gajurel handed over the memorandum to Prime Minster Baburam Bhattarai
at his office.
Newly appointed COAS Gaurav Shumsher
Rana said the Nepal Army would play necessary role in concluding
the peace process.
A meeting of the Council of Ministers
decided to forward an ordinance to the president so that amendment
of laws on appointment in constitutional bodies can take place.
NC President Sushil Koirala said
that his party was in favour of holding fresh election. However,
Koirala hinted that the NC was also open to the option of CA's
reinstatement.
|
September 11 |
NC President Sushil Koirala accused
the UCPN-Maoist of trying to stage "constitutional coup" to remain
in power. Koirala said the attempt to forcefully introduce ordinances
is a move towards "constitutional coup". He made it clear that
no amendment in the interim Constitution was possible without
consensus.
CWC meeting of the NC has been
deferred indefinitely. The decision to put on hold the CWC meeting
comes at a time when the party has not been able to make public
its official position on the Maoist proposal to reinstate the
CA for a brief period to promulgate the constitution.
|
September 12 |
Top leaders of the UCPN-M and
the NC agreed to go for elections if the parties do not reach
consensus by the end of Bhadra (August to September). The NC general
secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula said the discussion dwelt mainly
on the option of reinstatement of the CA for a brief period if
the parties settle the disputed issues of the constitution. According
to Sitaula, the NC reiterated that a NC-led national unity government
should be formed irrespective of what the agreement would be and
that Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda said his
party was positive about the NC's demand.
CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal
claimed that the UCPN-M should be squarely blamed for the current
political deadlock as they have not shown interest in resolving
the crisis. Khanal said he didn't see the possibility of consensus
emerging any time soon because the Maoists were not ready for
it due to fear of losing power. He said Prachanda's unstable position
had come in the way of the efforts of consensus. Arguing that
the Maoists were clinging onto the government despite lacking
the authority to rule, he said the opposition parties were going
to launch agitations from September 27.
|
September 15 |
The Ministry of Finance has allocated
NPR 819.59 million with a view to concluding the ongoing peace
process by providing financial package to the former PLA combatants
who have chosen voluntary retirement. Officials at the AISC Secretariat,
which is responsible for monitoring, rehabilitation and integration
of former Maoist combatants, said that the PLA combatants opting
for voluntary retirement will get NPR 500,000 to 800,000 along
with travel expense. According to reports, the 'junior commissioned
officers' will be discharged from the respective camps whereas,
the 'officer level fighters', will be discharged from the Nepal
Army School at Chitwan.
Organization Department Chief
of the UCPN-M Krishna Bahadur Mahara said that there is no alternative
for the political parties other than agreeing on identity-based
federalism to end the current political deadlock. He also stressed
on the need for a constitution that guarantees federalism in order
to ensure the rights of the people.
UCPN-M has postponed the national
conventions of its sister organisations owing to dispute between
factions loyal to party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda
and Prime Minister and vice chairman Baburam Bhattarai. Issuing
a press statement party spokesperson Agni Sapkota said the national
conventions of the sister organisations had been deferred due
to "technical problems and few other difficulties". According
to him, the new dates for the conference will be fixed after a
discussion between the office-bearers of the party and the leaders
of the concerned sister organisations. The national conventions
of the Maoist sister organisations were earlier scheduled to be
held from September to November.
NC vice president Ram Chandra
Poudel told media persons after a meeting of party office-bearers
held at party president Sushil Koirala's Maharajgunj residence
that the CA could be revived if the parties agreed on multi-ethnic
federal model. He claimed that major parties had agreed to carve
out multi-ethnic provinces on May 15 and that they should hold
onto that understanding. According to Poudel, the NC also decided
to intensify talks with other parties including the UCPN-Maoist
for a consensus. He said the NC and the CPN-UML would form a common
view before sitting with the Maoists.
|
September 16 |
Central Working Committee member
of NC, Arjun Narsingh KC said reinstatement of the dissolved CA
was not possible.
President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav
urged all the major political parties to end current political
impasse of the country before Dashain festival. He stressed on
the need for consensus among four major political forces to give
outlet to the country. He also assured the leaders that he would
be supportive to them if they come up with a common ground.
|
September 17 |
The former UCPN-M combatants appeared
for written examination to further qualify themselves for integration
into NA.
A group of students close to the
UCPN-M vandalized two schools in Kanchanpur District.
|
September 18 |
Top leaders of the three major
political forces- UCPN-M, NC, CPN-UML and UDMF have begun a meeting
expected to be decisive in resolving the current political and
constitutional deadlock in the country.
Political leaders failed to reach
consensus over federalism and CA. They said they may go for fresh
elections if they fail to have one voice on issues related to
federalism or opt for revival of the CA if the disputed issues
are sorted out through political consensus.
Constitutional expert and former
chairman of the erstwhile Constitutional Committee Nilambar Acharya
said that there are no legitimate grounds for CA revival.
MJF-N Chairman Upendra Yadav and
TMLP chief Mahanta Thakur have held several rounds of talks in
the past one and a half months to forge "possible" party unity.
All public and private schools
have been shut down in Kanchanpur District indefinitely after
a group of students close to the UCPN-M vandalized two schools
on September 17.
|
September 19 |
The major four political forces
UCPN-M, NC, CPN-UML and UDMF decided to go for fresh CA election
as they failed to agree on reinstatement of the dissolved CA.
Seven Madheshi and Janajati parties-
MPRF, RJP, NMSP, TNRD, JPN, KSRP, and NSSP- have warned they would
take to the streets if their major concerns, including single
identity-based federalism and inclusiveness, are not properly
addressed.
Different teachers´ unions withdrew
the indefinite educational institutions shutdown that they had
called for after the UCPN-M and the ANNISU-R agreed to compensate
the schools.
|
September 20 |
Political forces have begun fight
among them over who should lead the new Government that will hold
the elections by next April. The ruling UCPN-M and Madhesh-based
parties are now averse to the idea of NC leadership of a new Government
as per the five-point deal reached before the dissolution of the
CA on May 27, 2012.
The CPN-Maoist, Baidya condemned
the major political parties' decision to go for fresh CA elections.
The UDMF said it would accept
anyone proposed by the three other parties as the prime ministerial
candidate.
The unverified former PLA Nepal
combatants have withdrawn their protest programme following a
four-point understanding with the Government.
|
September 21 |
Major political forces agreed
to seek a package deal on all issues related to holding fresh
CA elections, including the formation of a national unity Government.
However, the UCPN-M rejected the CPN-UML proposal to form a NC
led Government.
NC meeting concluded that various
dissenting parties including the CPN-Maoist Baidya and MPRF-N
need to be made part of all negotiations that are aimed at resolving
the current political deadlock.
NC meeting concluded that it was
not possible to hold fresh election under the leadership of existing
Government.
Nine fringe political parties
joined forces with CPN-Maoist Baidya group to oppose decision
of four major political forces to go to fresh election of the
CA.
CPN-Maoist, Baidya party leaders
who have been expressing objection to the decision of the major
four political forces to go for fresh CA elections told NC not
to sideline them while taking crucial decisions.
Former king Gyanendra Shah said
that he is worried about country's "worsening situation" and that
he was "watching it seriously".
|
September 23 |
After the ruling parties refused
to step down before a "package deal" on all contentious issues
in constitution writing, the NC has called a meeting of opposition
parties on September 24 to chalk out a common strategy.
NC President Sushil Koirala has
decided to opt out of the race for Prime Minister from his party
amid counter claims for the post by rivals Ram Chandra Paudel
and Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Dissident politicians of CPN-UML
say they will formally quit the party on October 4 accusing the
leadership of rebuffing their demand on naming and delineating
provinces based on single-ethnic identity in new federal set up.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
said that the political parties should not delay consensus on
contentious issues in constitution writing.
|
September 24 |
A meeting of the various 13 opposition
political parties including the NC, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist- Baidya,
held at the call of NC at its headquarters decided to launch stringent
protests to oust the Baburam Bhattarai-led Government.
Others reports say there were
16 opposition parties present in the meeting.
Various opposition parties meeting
also demanded Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's resignation,
concluding that the incumbent Government has been a major obstacle
in resolving the present political crisis.
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda that the possibility of the formation of a new Government
under the leadership of NC is slim.
Altogether 1,388 former Maoist
combatants are set to join the NA as soldiers by passing all exams
and tests.
|
September 25 |
The politburo meeting of Mohan
Baidya-led CPN-Maoist- Baidya has decided to adopt all possible
means to intensify the protest against the current Government.
CPN-Maoist- Baidya vice-chairman
C P Gajurel said that it would not take more than a month for
the opposition parties to topple the present Government. "Our
protests will be such that the Government will not survive another
month, "said Gajurel.
NC senior leader Sher Bahadur
Deuba claimed that there is no dispute in the party over nomination
of its prime ministerial candidate for a new Government.
NC President Sushil Koirala is
"under pressure" from his supporters to become the prime ministerial
candidate.
TMDP and MPRF have begun formal
talks on unification after rounds of informal talks between senior
leaders of the two parties. Senior leaders, including TMDP Chairman
Mahantha Thakur, and MPRF Chairman Upendra Yadav held their first
formal talks on party unification in Kathmandu.
The scheduled closure of the 15
camps on September 28, 2012, will mark an end to the Army integration
process that had dominated the political arena since the beginning
of the peace process in 2006.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
sought cooperation of NA in its democratization process.
|
September 26 |
PM Dr Baburam Bhattarai said that
to hand over the Government leadership to NC in the present circumstances
will be 'suicidal'.
Tourism minister and UCPN-M secretary
Post Bahadur Bogati said his party was not ready to give Government
leadership to the NC until the thorny issues of the new constitution
were resolved.
A meeting of five opposition parties
discussed the program of protests to be launched soon with the
aim of unseating the present Government. Leaders of the NC, CPN-UML,
CPN-Maoist- Baidya, RPP and NMSP attended the meeting.
The probe commission for investigating
financial irregularities among UCPN-M party leaders extended its
term a second time, till 19 October, 2012. Earlier, the commission,
headed by Amik Sherchan, was extended for one month.
CPN-Maoist-Baidya group threatened
to prohibit the screening of Hindi movies and the entry into the
country of road vehicles with Indian number plates, from September
27.
Chairman of FSP Anil Kumar Jha
said that they have taken initiatives to unite parties that split
from NSP.
|
September 27 |
NC seriously differing over the
protest programs announced by the CPN-Maoist and the latter showing
reluctance to join a proposed taskforce of agitating political
parties, the long-awaited formation of an alliance of opposition
parties could not materialize in a meeting of 19- political forces.
Allaying concerns raised from
various quarters, the newly-formed CPN-Maoist said they do not
have any immediate plans to launch an armed insurgency.
|
September 28 |
Cadres of CPN-Maoist, Baidya vandalized
the Janajagriti Higher Secondary School at Pithuwa in Chitwan
District for running classes in defiance of the shutdown they
had imposed in the district.
|
October 1 |
Two Terai-based parties and five
Janajati political outfits joined force under a new alliance FDF.
MJF-N, RMSP, RJP, NSSP, KASC, TRD and JP are in the FDF.
|
October 2 |
In an all-party meeting, all political
forces represented in the erstwhile CA agree that the country
needs fresh CA elections, but they appeared clearly divided over
who should lead the Government that will conduct the elections.
Former PLA combatants who were
discharged in February 2010 after being disqualified in the verification
carried out by the then UNMIN have enforced bandh in mid-western
region.
CPN-UML Vice-chairperson Ashok
Rai said that the party dissident leaders will quit the party
on October 4.
|
October 3 |
At least 36 Janajati leaders and
cadres of the NC announced their resignation from party membership.
The disgruntled Janajati leaders said they are leaving NC as the
party was not seen serious about federalism, one of their foremost
demands.
NC has decided to address the
demands raised by the leaders representing indigenous community.
Senior leader of NC Sher Bahadur
Deuba said that reviving the dissolved CA was the best option
to promulgate new constitution.
NC General Secretary Krishna Sitaula
claimed that unity Government would be formed under the leadership
of his party within a month.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
reiterated that he would not step down claiming that his resignation
would invite further crisis in the country.
CPN-UML politburo member Pradeep
Gyawali said that President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav would not be able
to do anything to form the new Government as he has no right to
appoint and remove the Prime Minister.
ANNISU-R aligned with Maoist Baidya
asked students to be ready to for another armed revolt against
capitulationism and neo-revisionism of UCPN-M leadership if necessary.
The chiefs of UCPN-M state committees
concluded that the Maoist strongholds during the insurgency have
been the hardest hit after the party split a few months ago.
Altogether 71 former Maoist combatants
have passed the test for recruitment in the NA as officers.
An Eastern Regional Conference
on Security organized by the MHA started.
|
October 4 |
A group of noted dissident leaders,
including party Vice-Chairman Ashok Rai, quit CPN-UML. Ashok Rai
announced the names of 47 central-level leaders. He said at least
517 leading CPN-UML members from 61 Districts quit the party alone.
CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal
said his party is now ready to wage nationwide protests and demonstrations
to pull down the current Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist
UCPN-M led Government in order to pave the way for a national
consensus Government.
The AISC has decided to provide
opportunity for the former PLA commanders, who have failed in
officer level test, to join the NA in the junior ranks.
Dahal intensified parleys with
the leaders in the opposition bloc following his meeting with
President Ram Baran Yadav.
|
October 5 |
UCPN-M and NC remain in dispute
yet again after UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka
Prachanda reiterated during his meeting with NC President Sushil
Koirala that the former will not accept NC´s leading the election
Government saying that the political context has changed.
CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal
said that removal of the UCPN-M led coalition Government was essential
to end current political deadlock facing the country.
CPN-UML said the party has launched
nationwide protests "to end the Government-promoted communal violence
and the Government's authoritarian rule."
CPN-UML leaders claimed that the
party would not be affected at all despite scores of dissident
leaders quitting the party.
|
October 6 |
UCPN-M politburo member Ram Karki
said that PM Baburam Bhattarai is expected to announce his resignation
in the next two weeks.
|
October 7 |
Analysts watching Madheshi politics
term the initiatives taken by Madhesh-based political parties
on unification as a positive development. However, they expressed
doubt that the process would be an easy task.
|
October 8 |
The UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda at a meeting with NC leaders floated a proposal
to reinstate the dissolved CA. NC leaders responded to Dahal´s
proposal saying that they want to hold further discussions before
taking a final decision.
UCPN-M reiterated that Prime Minister
Baburam Bhattarai will not put in his papers until major political
parties reach a 'package deal' on all contentious issues.
|
October 9 |
Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi
said judiciary has no concern over the initiatives taken by political
parties to resurrect the defunct CA against the decision of the
Supreme Court. |
October 10 |
Mohan Baidya CPN-Maoist, Baidya
warned of declaring ethnic federal states from the street strongly
objecting to the major political parties' informal understanding
to go for the fresh CA polls.
UCPN-M decided to restructure
the party organization into six tiers to be run by collective
leadership.
NC president Sushil Koirala made
it clear that his party does not consider revival of the CA as
a way of finding a solution to the protracted political stalemate.
|
October 11 |
UCPN-M and NC cadres clashed in
Sindhulimadi in Sindhudi District. Confrontation ensued while
the NC cadres were staging a demonstration in protest against
the manhandling of Taraun Dal central committee member Nabaraj
Shrestha by UCPN-M cadres.
CPN-Maoist, Baidya revoked its
'ban' on foreign movies in view of the upcoming festivals.
Over 150 former CA members representing
around two dozen political parties gathered in Kathmandu and spoke
in favor of reinstating the CA dissolved on May 27.
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
proposed to CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal to be ready to promulgate
a new constitution while deferring the unresolved issues for the
new parliament. Though, Khanal described the proposal as a positive
idea he downplayed it.
|
October 12 |
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav said
he was concerned that leaders of major political parties were
not following the SCs verdict on the fate of the CA.
PM Baburam Bhattarai's political
advisor Devendra Poudel has claimed that the CA will be revived
before Tihar Festival. Contrarily, CPN-UML vice chairperson Bidhya
Bhandari said the CPN-UML was determined to foil the CA reinstatement
bid, saying that it is a ''conspiracy'' to push the country further
back.
NYPV, the youth wing of the CPN-Maoist,
Baidya has decided to form teams of youths in every village and
city across the country and also mobilize such teams in all sectors,
such as education and industry, to stop cultural and economic
irregularities.
|
October 13 |
President indicated that he would
not give his nod to any ordinance prepared by the Government unilaterally.
CPN-UML warned its former CA members
against speaking in favour of reinstatement of the dissolved assembly.
|
October 14 |
PM Baburam Bhattarai said the
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav should remain within his jurisdiction
and not meddle with parties.
|
October 15
|
President Ram Baran Yadav made
it clear that the dissolved assembly "cannot be resurrected at
any cost.
UCPN-M chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal
said that the dissolved CA will be revived before Tihar (Festival),
which falls on the second week of November.
CPN-Maoist-Baidya Secretary, Dev
Prasad Gurung has said that the president's call to the political
parties to forge consensus was a positive move.
CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwar
Pokharel said that the new election would be like a referendum
as it would help decide some crucial political issues through
people´s mandate.
|
October 16
|
President Ram Baran Yadav and
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai held nearly three-hour long meeting
in their efforts to reconcile differences. The meeting between
them also focused on the current political deadlock with the deadline
set by the parties to forge consensus on all contentious issues
ending October 16.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
for Home Affairs Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar said that Madheshi force
should be given opportunity to lead the consensus Government if
the three major parties, UCPN-M, NC, and CPN-UML fail to find
a common ground on the thorny issues including the leadership
in the unity Government.
Secretary of CPN-Maoist-Baidya,
Dev Gurung claimed that the country would not find its way out
of its current political crisis until the three major political
parties and Madheshi front do away with their autocratic mind-set.
|
October 17
|
UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda said that sooner or later major political parties
will agree to reinstate the dissolved CA.
NC and CPN-UML in meeting concluded
that holding of fresh elections has become imperative and that
forming a new election Government should be the first step toward
it.
Further, they also decided to
launch joint protest against the UCPN-M led Government immediately
after Dashain.
CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwor
Pokharel has remarked that the reinstatement of CA will amount
to contempt of court.
|
October 18
|
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda proposed holding elections for a new president along
with a fresh CA poll.
Senior leaders of FDF, an alliance
of two Madheshi and five indigenous parties, urged the President
to take initiatives for bringing political parties to consensus.
NC Central Working Committee member
Prakash Sharan Mahat said that his party might go for reinstatement
of the CA if the parties show readiness to resolve constitution-related
disputes based on an understanding reached among the parties on
May 15, 2012.
|
October 19
|
President Ram Baran Yadav summoned
the chiefs of over two dozen political forces in a bid to press
them to find a solution for the protracted political and constitutional
deadlock.
President Ram Baran Yadav made
clear that he was ready to resign from the post any time and face
the elections if four major political forces come up with consensus
to hold a new presidential vote together with that of the CA.
CPN-UML leader and former Prime
Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal warned against any agreement between
the UCPN-M and NC on forming a new Government bypassing his party.
Leaders of the ruling coalition
Government have agreed to keep all options open to forge consensus
among political parties.
|
October 20
|
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's
political advisor Devendra Poudel said his party was ready to
quit the Government provided there was an agreement between the
parties to resurrect the CA.
Local leaders of the UCPN-M in
Palpa have allegedly threatened the journalists at Radio Paschimanchal
demanding that they shut the station immediately.
|
October 21
|
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
said that the party would take an initiative to break the constitutional
and political deadlock afflicting the political spectrum in the
country.
|
October 22
|
Over eighty CPN-UML cadres left
the party en masse in Hong Kong (Singapore).
CPN-Maoist-Baidya chairman Mohan
Baidya ruled out any possibility of a new Government under parties
including NC and, instead, put forth party General Secretary Ram
Bahadur Thapa's name for the post of next prime minister.
CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal
directed the party cadres to gear up for a peaceful agitation;
the party has planned after the Dashain and Tihar to pile pressure
for national consensus.
|
0ctober 25 |
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
called on President Ram Baran Yadav to discuss the present political
scenario. He told the Head of State that his party is open on
all options to resolve the political crisis and forge national
consensus.
NC vice-president Ram Chandra
Paudel has charged the UCPN-M itself of being a hindrance to consensus.
He said the UCPN-M could not be trusted as its chairman changes
his words oftentimes.
Further, senior leader of CPN-UML,
Madhav Kumar Nepal, has said that the president should play a
role in appointing a new Prime Minister.
|
October 26 |
NC President Sushil Koirala and
Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel advocated two opposing views
on ending the ongoing political deadlock.
|
October 28 |
A group of former chief justices
counseled the PM Baburam Bhattarai that the dissolved CA can be
reinstated only for the purpose of amending the interim constitution
to pave the way for holding fresh elections and to conduct parliamentary
hearings for appointment in vital constitutional bodies but not
for the purpose of producing new constitution.
Expressing fears that the country
may plunge into constitutional and economic crises if the current
deadlock continues, President Ram Baran Yadav has urged the top
leaders of major political parties to end the deadlock at the
earliest.
Leaders from NC and CPN-UML decided
to reject the UCPN-M proposal on ending the political stalemate
and vowed to intensify joint agitation against the present coalition
after Tihar (Religious festivals).
The UCPN-M made important decisions
regarding the issues relating to the political consensus in its
upcoming general convention and party transformation.
President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav
advised both NC and CPN-UML leadership to forge consensus and
end the current political stalemate before the Tihar festival.
|
October 29 |
EC said that the political parties
should reach a deal within the next month if elections are to
be held in April. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Nilkantha
Uprety said that parties should arrive at a consensus before November
30 to address the legal and constitutional difficulties in holding
the polls.
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
who has been pressing hard lately for the revival of the CA, said
that his party might agree to holding new CA polls if all the
political parties were of one view.
NC President Sushil Koirala said
that the party´s CWC meeting scheduled to begin from October 31
will take a formal decision to go for fresh CA polls.
CPN-Maoist-Baidya has formally
announced the party´s General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa as their
candidate for the post of new prime minister.
Leaders of the ruling coalition
have failed to reach a consensus on either going for fresh polls
of reviving the dissolved CA was the best option to resolve the
current political crisis.
|
October 30 |
The four major political forces
UCPN-M, NC, CPN-UML and UDMF handed over responsibility to their
respective top leaders to seek consensus on all contentious issues
within the next four days.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav said
that he would not endorse any ordinance including the one relating
to the budget without consensus among the political parties.
UDMF an alliance of Madhesh based
parties has called its meeting on November 1 to take decision
regarding its position on two options-either to go for the revival
of the CA or fresh election.
NC CWC meeting to take an official
decision on either to go for fresh polls or reinstatement of the
CA, on October 31.
|
October 31 |
A meeting of ruling coalition
Government decided to bring the Government's annual budget through
an ordinance by mid-November, regardless of how talks with opposition
parties fare.
UCPN-M spokesperson Agni Sapkota
said that the Baburam Bhattarai Government will remain in place,
given the absence of the parliament to elect the new PM.
NC has officially decided to go
for fresh CA polls.
CPN-Maoist-Baidya has named a
combination of political, bureaucratic and ´comprador´ capitalist
elements ´protected and guided by Indian expansionists´ as its
principal enemy.
|
November 2 |
Top leaders of the four major
political UCPN-M, NC, CPN-UML and UDMF assured President Dr Ram
Baran Yadav that they would soon reach consensus on holding fresh
CA polls.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal on behalf of
the ruling coalition has asked the opposition parties to offer
a prime ministerial candidate from the NC in writing. NC and CPN-UML
leaders argued that they were not obliged to submit the name of
the candidate to Dahal.
UCPN-M has decided to single-handedly
bring full-fledged budget within mid-November if major political
parties fail to arrive at a consensus for the same.
|
November 3 |
NC has warned its leaders
and cadres from speaking in favour of reinstatement of the CA and
challenging the party's decision to go to fresh CA election. |
November 4 |
President Ram Baran Yadav said
that he would not take any decision without consensus between
the political forces.
NC and CPN-UML leaders said a
conspiracy is being hatched to drag President Ram Baran Yadav
into controversy.
President's office has seriously
objected to a public statement made by Finance Minister Barsha
Man Pun. The minister had claimed that the President was considering
dismissing the Baburam Bhattarai government.
|
November 5 |
CWC meeting of CPN-Maoist-Baidya
endorsed the proposal of party Chairman Mohan Baidya on the formation
of "armed force" when deemed necessary in future" even as almost
all CWC members exerted pressure on the party leadership to form
immediately the party´s own "army."
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
has cautioned ministers and leaders from the ruling parties against
making "irresponsible remarks" against President Ram Baran Yadav.
Further, President Ram Baran Yadav
has said the Government will be morally bound to step down if
parties fail to secure a new election deal by November 22. Election
Commission has already announced that the November polls will
not be possible, the Government is yet to postpone or take a new
decision on it.
Opposition parties have refused
to be involved in the preparatory work for the budget despite
the Finance Ministry's invitation.
President Ram Baran Yadav and
CPN-UML chief Jhalanath Khanal discussed the Government's plan
to bring the budget through an ordinance.
FDRA decided to try its best to
forge consensus with the opposition parties on preparing a new
budget by mid-November.
|
November 6 |
Newly formed CPN-Maoist-Baidya
has opposed the decision saying the CA elected through fresh polls
cannot guarantee a pro-people constitution.
Minister for Finance, Barshaman
Pun held discussions with NC President Sushil Koirala about bringing
a new budget by forging political consensus.
NC President Sushil Koirala has
said that taking political and economic decisions through ordinance
was an anti-democratic move. Koirala said that they requested
the President Baburam Bhattarai to play roles as the patron of
the Interim Constitution of Nepal.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's
political advisor Devendra Poudel said that the country would
plunge into political disaster if President Ram Baran Yadav blocks
budget-related ordinance.
|
November 7 |
A taskforce of opposition political
parties-NC, CPN-UML worked on the draft outlines of a letter to
be submitted to President Ram Baran Yadav requesting him not to
approve an ordinance that the Government is planning to forward
to the head of state for bringing a new annual budget by mid-November.
President Ram Baran Yadav and
NC president Sushil Koirala discussed current political situation
of the country.
RMSP Chairman, Saratsingh Bhandari
said, demands of Madhesh and Madhesi were not simply addressed
because President and Vice-president were Madheshi. He emphasized
to grant equal participation to Madheshi in all State mechanism
for their empowerment.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai
warned former king Gyanendra Shah of cutting facilities being
provided by the Government if he tried to take benefit of country's
transition.
|
November 8 |
A meeting between the UCPN-M and
NC leaders held ended without any sign of consensus on finding
a way out of the protracted deadlock anytime soon.
|
November 9 |
President Ram Baran Yadav urged
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal to take concrete and result-oriented
initiatives to settle the budget row and the political impasse.
While maintaining that fresh election
was his party´s ´roadmap´ to end the current political deadlock,
NC President Sushil Koirala challenged the ruling UCPN-M to compete
with them in the elections.
CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal
urged the President not to be intimidated by the 'threats' issued
by the UCPN-M.
|
November 10 |
Leaders from 19 political parties
are scheduled to announce anti-government protests to be launched
after Tihar. A team of leaders from the opposition parties have
already drafted an outline of joint protest programs.
|
November 12 |
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
NC and CPN-UML did not want to join Baburam Bhattarai-led Government
even as he pledged NC the Home Ministry and CPN-UML the Finance
Ministry.
NC president Sushil Koirala said
the opposition's movement would eventually thwart ambitions of
the UCPN-M to impose ´totalitarian rule´ in the country´.
Government had to postpone its
plan to introduce full budget. It was set to introduce full budget
of around NPR 458 billion for the current fiscal year 2012/13
in spite of objection from the opposition.
Meeting of the top leaders of
the three major parties - UCPN-M, NC and CPN-UML - on the budget
ended inconclusively.
|
November 14 |
UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
said that the ruling coalition was determined to introduce budget
even if there is no consensus between the major parties.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home
Minister Bijay Kumar Gachhadar said that political parties will
forge consensus to end the current political deadlock in the country
by November 30.
CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal
has accused the present Government of being the main hindrance
in forging consensus among the political parties.
|
November 15 |
PM Baburam Bhattarai said that
the parties would arrive at a consensus on disputed issues in
the second week of Mangsir (3rd week of November).
Senior leader of the CPN-UML Madhav
Kumar Nepal opined that time has come for the head of the state
Dr Ram Baran Yadav to play a significant role to topple the incumbent
Government.
|
November 16 |
The first phase agitation by 15
parties including the main opposition parties NC and CPN-UML will
begin from November 18.
UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
met NC president Sushil Koirala as part of his ongoing efforts
to convince the opposition parties to allow the Government to
present the budge. However, Koirala gave him no assurance over
the budget.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal said major
parties' failure to seek consensus within one or two weeks from
now will lead the country to a "serious political mishap."
PM Baburam Bhattarai and Finance
Minister Barsha Man Pun called on President Ram Baran Yadav to
discuss the budget ordinance issue.
|
November 17 |
Selected civil society leaders
representing various professional sectors vowed to support the
opposition parties agitating to oust the present Government, but
have set conditions.
|
November 18 |
The Government yet again deferred
its scheduled plan to unveil annual budget for November 20, as
the opposition parties firmly stood against the Government plan.
President Ram Baran Yadav is all
set to make a 'written request to parties to strike consensus
on a political roadmap, including formation of a national unity
Government ,' if efforts to give an outlet to the political and
constitutional crises fail by November 22, the election date fixed
by the Government.
Preparations made by the NA to
begin training for former PLA combatants from next week is likely
to be affected by the delay in deciding on a new structure in
the Army for the former fighters and determination of their ranks.
|
November 19 |
President?s Office clarified that
President Ram Baran Yadav has not given November 22 deadline for
political parties to reach a consensus on major issues including
the budget fixed deadline to the parties.
Further, a meeting of top leaders
of the UCPN-M, NC, and CPN-UML held to forge consensus on the
budget and fresh elections ended inconclusively after the ruling
UCPN-M refused outright to quit the Government.
Group of leaders, including former
Vice-chairman Ashok Rai, who had quit CPN-UML demanding single
ethnic identity based federalism, finally decided to announce
a new party on November 22. Rai would lead the new party to be
named as Federal Democratic Socialist Party.
|
November 20 |
The Government announced a budget
of NPR 351.93 billion, ending long-running confusion over fiscal
operations for the remaining eight months of fiscal year 2012/13.
Government announced fresh CA
elections in the month of Baisakh (April-May) next year, and submitted
a budget ordinance to the President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav for approval.
President Ram Baran Yadav approved
the budget ordinance presented by the Government.
Opposition has denounced the unilateral
announcement of fresh election of the CA by the Government.
|
November 21 |
A socket bomb was found at the
venue of a mass meeting to be addressed by NC senior leader Sher
Bahadur Deuba at Sunkuda in Bahjang District.
Personnel of the PLA, who have
been selected for integration into the NA, formally joined the
national Army. Their training will start by November 25 at eight
different locations.
A meeting of the Special Committee
(for supervision? integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants)
decided to ask the Government to create 4,171 new vacancies in
the NA for the purpose of accommodating former PLA combatants.
16 opposition parties vowed to
intensify the anti-Government protests saying that the ruling
coalition´s unilateral move to introduce budget through ordinance
further deepened the mistrust between the opposition parties and
ruling coalitions.
Madhesh-based political parties
in opposition have taken strong exception to the budget introduced
by the caretaker Government stating that it could disturb environment
of consensus among political parties.
|
November 22 |
PM Baburam Bhattarai reiterated
that he was ready to quit the post anytime if there was a political
consensus among parties.
UCPN-M decided to take the initiative
to forge consensus among political parties.
A group of leaders from the ethnic
and indigenous communities formed a new party, FSPN, with former
CPN-UML vice-chairman Ashok Rai as its chairman.
Civil society members have joined
opposition parties to protest against Baburam Bhattarai-led coalition
Government.
|
November 23 |
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav called
on the political parties to nominate a prime ministerial candidate
through consensus and come up with an appropriate proposal to
form a new Government within the next seven days.
President Ram Baran Yadav´s deadline
has divided the political forces. While UCPN-M lambasted the head
of state, the opposition parties have welcomed the move.
Mohan Baidya, Chairman CPN-Maoist-Baidya
said that the latest move by the President won?t solve the political
impasse.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner
Dolakh Bahadur Gurung and Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav have
called on the PM to make necessary legal arrangements to conduct
election.
|
November 25 |
PM Baburam Bhattarai asked President
Ram Baran Yadav to fulfill his duties by remaining within the
ambit of the constitution and never to disregard it.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav reiterated
that he won?t trespass the constitutional limits prescribed by
the Interim Constitution. President Yadav appealed political parties
to come up with a new prime ministerial candidate.
Opposition political parties have
called off their protest programs scheduled for November 30 and
December 1 in view of the changed political context, mainly following
the president´s call for formation of a consensus Government.
|
November 27 |
The ruling UCPN-M decided to convert
the present Baburam Bhattarai-led Government into a National consensus
Government.
UCPN-M proposed a new unity Government
offering political rivals the pick of the top cabinet posts in
a bid to end the deadlock.
NC President Sushil Koirala has
asked Dahal to support his candidacy for the PM of a consensus
Government.
CPN-UML reiterated that it won´t
accept UCPN-M leading the new Government.
President Ram Baran Yadav has
agreed to extend the deadline by one more week should the political
parties failed to reach to an agreement on consensus prime ministerial
candidate within the stipulated deadline.
|
November 28 |
Nearly a dozen cadres of the opposition
parties were injured in Police action during their protest against
PM Baburam Bhattarai in Baglung Bazaar at Baglung District.
NC and CPN-UML leaders have agreed
to urge the Head of the State to extend his seven-day deadline
to form a Government of national consensus.
|
November 29 |
President Ram Baran Yadav extended
the deadline given to the parties to nominate a consensus prime
ministerial candidate by seven days.
Chairman of UCPN-M Pushpa Kamal
Dahal said NC vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel that the latter's
party should not hope to get the leadership of the new Government
without first forging consensus on disputed issues of new constitution.
Hundreds of 'disqualified' PLA
fighters have been laying siege to UCPN-M headquarters in Paris
Danda (Okhaldhunga District) and Koteshwor (Kathmandu District),
since November 28, demanding that the party address their concerns
at the earliest.
|
November 30 |
Expressing serious objection over
President Ram Baran Yadav not including the CPN-Maoist-Baidya
in the meetings of major political parties, the party warned that
it would not accept any decision that the four major political
parties will take.
CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal
has accused the current Government of being the main obstacle
in forming a new Government.
|
December 1 |
NEFIN said it will not accept
the findings of the national census report and will start agitation
against it. NEFIN chief Raj Kumar Lekhi said they were forced
to agitate as the 2011 census has not only reduced the number
of indigenous nationalities compared to the 2001 census, but also
blatantly denied the existence of 10 indigenous nationalities
out of the 59 enlisted by the Government.
|
December 2 |
NC and CPN-Maoist-Baidya made
it clear that they will not join Baburam Bhattarai Government,
as vaguely suggested by President Ram Baran Yadav.
CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal
said that consensus Government is not possible under the leadership
of PM Bhattarai.
UCPN-M party claimed that the
incumbent Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai would be leading the
next Government of national consensus.
|
December 3 |
UCPN-M Dhading district committee
member, Bijay Tamang, was shot dead by unidentified assailants
in Gumdi VDC of Dhading District in the morning.
A former UCPN-M activist was murdered
by unidentified assailants following his abduction from his home
in Ratmate of Darkha VDC.
An IED went off near Doorsanchar
Chowk in Banepa area of Kavre District. No one was injured in
the blast.
PM Baburam Bhattarai met NC president
Sushil Koirala and assured that he was ready to pave the way if
the parties arrived at consensus.
Sushil Koirala claimed that consensus
on new Government is likely to emerge by December 6, the last
day of the second deadline given by the President Ram Baran Yadav
to the parties.
CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal
said that his party was ready to name a candidate for Prime Ministership
if NC fails to propose its candidate soon.
In order to check infiltration
of Pakistan-based terrorists, smuggling of FICN and human trafficking,
India has deployed advanced internet protocol cameras at three
places along the Indo-Nepal international border in Uttar Pradesh,
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December 4 |
Three major political parties-
UCPN-M, NC and CPN-UML has agreed to reach a package deal to end
the present crisis by December 6.
Chairman of the UCPN-M Pushpa
Kamal Dahal reiterated that his party would not compromise on
the agenda of change.
Government decided to withdraw
various cases lodged against the Maoists leaders and cadres during
the decade-long insurgency.
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December 5 |
NC proposed the party´s president,
Sushil Koirala, as its candidate for the post of PM in a new,
election Government.
UCPN-M maintained that it would
accept NC leadership in consensus Government only if the main
opposition agrees to settle outstanding issues in a package deal.
CPN-Maoist-Baidya vice chairman
C.P Gajurel said that fresh CA elections are not possible by mid-May.
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December 6 |
A meeting of the four major political
forces -UCPN-M, NC, CPN-UML and UDMF- to forge consensus ended
inconclusively as the parties remained adamant on their respective
stance.
President Ram Baran Yadav has
decided to extend the deadline only after holding discussion with
the parties on December 7.
At least two dozen ?disqualified?
combatants were injured when police disrupted a torch rally organized
by them at UCPN-M office in Kathmandu.
Unverified PLA fighters, who have
been picketing the UCPN-M party headquarters for the last few
days presenting their eight-point demand, revealed further protest
plans and have even threatened to target political leaders if
they remain indifferent to their demands.
India has asked Kathmandu to strengthen
its screening process since intelligence inputs suggest that ISI-backed
terror groups are trying to push active terrorists in the guise
of ex-militants
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December 7 |
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav extended
the deadline for the formation of consensus Government, by six
days.
Chairman of the NEFIN, Rajkumar
Lekhi, said the consensus made by four major political forces
is not acceptable to them.
Sadbhawana Party chairman and
Health Minister Rajendra Mahato said Madheshi parties could accept
a consensus Government under the NC on the condition that it accepts
the four-point agreement with the UCPN-M which led to the formation
of the Baburam Bhattarai-led coalition Government.
Members of the Discharged PLA
Nepal picketed the offices of the different political parties
citing that their demands were not met.
The meeting of the taskforce comprising
NC, CPN-UML and RPP decided not to hit the streets until mid-December
in view of ongoing efforts to form a consensus Government.
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December 8 |
PM Baburam Bhattarai said that
a package deal on resolving the crisis is eluding top leaders
as political parties are only thinking about elections.
FDRA decided to expand the cabinet
if there is no package deal between the parties on key issues
including formation of the unity Government within the next five
days.
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
said there was no alternative for parties to the 12-point agreement
but to work together once again or else the country would plunge
into disaster.
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December 9 |
The NC said that it would not
accept any preconditions, especially relating to the contentious
issues of new statute, to secure the prime ministerial berth.
General Secretary of CPN-UML CP
Mainali proposed that referendum could be an alternative to navigate
the present crisis if the parties failed to forge a consensus
before the latest deadline set by the President.
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December 10 |
A group of NC Central Working
Committee members argued that the party should not stick to its
demand for Government leadership if there is guarantee of fresh
polls by mid-May.
Supreme Court has issued a show
cause notice to the Office of the President asking it to furnish
reasons for not accepting a nomination made by 12 political parties
for the post of PM.
CPN-Maoist, Baidya faction Secretary
Dev Gurung said that scrapping of the announcement of fresh election
to the CA by the President is the best solution to the present
political crisis in the country.
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December 11 |
A day before expiry of the president´s
deadline to the parties to pick a consensus prime ministerial
candidate, the ruling UCPN-M authorized party office bearers with
holding talks with opposition parties to forge consensus on the
prime ministerial candidate.
Further, Coordinator of the UDMF
Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar said that Madheshi parties would not
back Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai for new national consensus
Government.
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December 12 |
President Ram Baran Yadav further
extended the deadline for political forces to reach an agreement
on a common prime ministerial candidate and form a consensus Government
by five days.
UCPN-M and UDMF reiterated their
earlier stand to leave the Government only after agreement on
package with the opposition parties.
UCPN-M claiming that it is ready
to accept a NC-led Government if the Baburam Bhattarai-led Government
is allowed to amend the constitution fix the date of fresh polls
and make constitutional appointments.
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December 13 |
NC President Sushil Koirala said
that there will be consensus within five days if UCPN-M does not
create hurdles. Koirala also asked UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda to be honest in politics.
PM Baburam Bhattarai's political
advisor Devendra Poudel said the PM will not step down if there
is no package agreement between the major parties within the next
five days.
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December 14 |
In a move that marks the closure
of the integration of PLA commanders, the Prime Minister-led Special
Committee gave the go-ahead to the Government to establish a general
directorate in the Nepal Army.
Latest draft proposal discussed
at the cross-party special committee shows that the highest position
the PLA commanders will get is major.
General directorate strength will
be 4171; will be comprised of 2711 personnel from different security
agencies and 1460 former PLA commanders.
NC Vice-president Ram Chandra
Poudel warned to unseat the incumbent Government through the means
of struggle.
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December 15 |
UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
expressed confidence that the political parties will strike a
deal to pave the way for a national unity government by December
17.
NC senior leader Sher Bahadur
Deuba has said that his party could accept UCPN-M's latest proposal
to form Unity Government. "If the Maoists keep their word.
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December 17 |
President Ram Baran Yadav assured the EC that
constitutional and legal hurdles will be removed as soon as possible
to conduct the new elections for CA by mid May.
President has summoned leaders from major political
forces at his office on December 18 after, parties failed to find
a consensus prime ministerial candidate to head an election Government.
NC leaders have concluded that PM Baburam Bhattarai
is a major obstacle to political consensus.
PM set conditions to make way for a new Government,
which include announcement of election date and participation
of opposition parties into a national unity Government under him,
at least for some time, before the handover of the Government
leadership to the NC.
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December 18 |
President Ram Baran Yadav gave political parties
five more days (until December 22), to name a consensus candidate
for premiership.
SSGSS a newly formed alliance of 11 ethnic parties
and organizations, said fresh election to the Constituent Assembly
would be unacceptable to the alliance.
CPN-Maoist-Baidya chairman Mohan Baidya said his
party would not accept NC President Sushil Koirala as Prime Minister
of consensus Government.
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December 19 |
Top leaders of the major political forces decided
to take an alternative political course for nomination of the
new PM.
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairman
and PM Baburam Bhattarai, the latter boycotted a party office-bearers´
meeting that was supposed to decide the official party position
on whether or not to quit Government.
PM Baburam Bhattarai met President Ram Baran Yadav
and asked the President not to believe the 'rumours' surrounding
him, claiming that he was ready to cooperate with the ongoing
efforts of parties to find a way out of the deadlock.
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December 21 |
The NC vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel said
his party would launch protest movement if the parties failed
to arrive at an understanding on December 22.
UDMF to harden its stance against the opposition
parties´ demand for immediate exit of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.
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December 23 |
Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai warned of
retaliating against the opposition parties with ´politics of negation´
if they chose to do so to him.
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal urged the leaders
of parties that comprise FDRA to become flexible to find common
prime ministerial candidate even from outside the Alliance.
Further, leaders of major political parties said
they will reach a deal on naming a consensus Prime Minister by
deadline. Leaders of four political forces, who called on President
Ram Baran Yadav, said that they were very close to reaching an
agreement.
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