Speaking at a news conference after the party´s Standing Committee meeting at party headquarters Paris Danda Saturday evening, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said his party was compelled to enforce the three-day general strike as the ruling parties turned a deaf ear to the demand concerning “civilian supremacy”. He ruled out the possibility of consensus until the proposed joint resolution motion conveys a sense that the president made an unconstitutional move in reinstating the then army chief.
Dahal said the parties mulled various devices, including releasing a statement from the president “expressing regret” over his move, amending the constitution to define the jurisdiction of the president and the cabinet, and bringing a joint resolution in parliament, but to no avail. “The ruling parties only appear serious about ending the deadlock,” said Dahal, “We let the budget through and even when we were close to a deal, the ruling parties slid further from their stances.”
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Leaders of the three largest parties have held a number of meetings to persuade the Maoists to call off their protest.
Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala requested Dahal to withdraw the banda, during a meeting at Koirala´s residence Friday. UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal met Koirala Saturday and the two agreed to urge the Maoists to withdraw the banda and resolve things through a meeting of top party leaders. In the afternoon, Khanal met Dahal at the latter´s party office in this connection. But the Maoists declined, saying Khanal´s intention was just to “diffuse the banda.”
Foreign intervention
The Maoist chairman reiterated that growing foreign intervention was responsible for the political deadlock.
“Rightist currents in each party are getting stronger by the day and working under foreign direction,” he said, adding, foreign hands are active over integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants and sabotaging the process. “All past agreements including the 12-point agreement and Comprehensive Peace Accord, the Interim Constitution and the Constituent Assembly have gone in favor of the Maoists. So they want the peace process not to reach its logical conclusion,” he said, “There will be agreement within two days if the ruling parties stop being foreign stooges.”
Maoists for alternative to house obstruction
The Maoist party has also decided to change the form of its protest in the legislature-parliament.
“We are changing the form of protest,” Dahal said but did not elaborate what the new form would be. He said the Maoist parliamentary party will meet December 23 to decide this.
According to Dahal, the meeting will also take important decisions on the peace process and constitution writing. "They want us to disrupt everything, but the decisions of the meeting will show the Maoists are sincere about the constitution and the peace process,” he said.
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Dahal bashes media
Dahal alleged that recent media reports were biased against the Maoists. “When our cadres are killed, it doesn´t feature in the media, but any minor incident against others is big news,” he said adding that the party´s publicity-orientated declaration of federal provinces was also “sensationalized”.
Dahal said his party doesn´t have any policy of seizing private or public land. “All we wanted is to settle the landless and flood-displaced on empty land - that too through consensus.” He said the Maoists are suspicious that the government could be inviting confrontation.
He said Maoists are not involved in attacking journalist Tika Bista. “If someone from the party is involved, the government can take action against him.”
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