"The party Chairman (Pushpa Kamal Dahal), Bhattaraiji (Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai) and Prakashji (Narayankaji Shrestha) arrived here yesterday (Sunday) but I have come today (Monday)," Thapa said at a function at Bardibas, Mahottari.[break]
"That I couldn´t attend the function yesterday should not be taken as an indication of a division in the party." He claimed that the ongoing discussions within the party were purely an ideological debate.
Asked about the parallel meetings held by different factions and the gathering in Dhanusha, he conceded that similar problems existed in various other districts and that the party leadership has called a central committee meeting to settle the differences.
"It is true that party cadres are divided into parallel factions down to the grassroots level, but the problem has to be solved according to party convention at the central level," he said.
He argued that the ongoing intense debate in the party rank and file is for ending the hegemony of capitalists and compradors in the country.
Thapa, a key leader of the party´s rival Baidya faction, claimed that there is no dispute within the Maoist party with regard to concluding the constitution writing and the peace process.
He said they are firm in their demand for a dignified integration of Maoist combatants.
"Eight to 10 thousand combatants should be integrated into the security agencies with a combat role and a PLA commander should head the proposed directorate," Thapa said.
He criticized the prime minister for signing the Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (BIPPA) with India. "The prime minister himself said that he signed the deal at his own risk. It is obvious that the agreement is not in the interest of Nepal," he said.
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