Maoists to mobilize masses for 'people's constitution'

KATHMANDU, Jan 16: After weeks-long heated exchanges between the moderates and the radicals in the UCPN (Maoist) central committee (CC), the Maoist rival factions have formally agreed to withhold the separate documents of Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya and mobilize the masses for the sake of a dignified integration of the PLA personnel and a “people´s constitution.”

With the decision, the three-week-long rancorous CC meeting has finally come to an end. “We have agreed to hold debates on the party line and hold common programs for peace and constitution. In fact we have reached a historic agreement to keep party unity intact,” said Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma. [break]

Leaders said the rival factions now are allowed to discuses the intra-party disputes outside the party also and resolve them in a party congress that is a 20 years overdue.

The party did not clearly elaborate mass mobilization, the constitution of “the people´s federal democratic republic” and “dignified integration” of the PLA personnel into the Nepal Army (NA) directorate.

“We have agreed to take the ideological disputes down to the grassroots level, and formulate joint programs for dignified integration of the PLA. We want party unity on the condition that the party is committed to transformation, people´s revolt and revolution,” Baidya told reporters after the meeting.

We have agreed to take the ideological disputes down to the grassroots level and formulate joint programs for dignified integration of the PLA. We want party unity on the condition that the party is committed to transformation, people´s revolt and revolution.

- Baidya

According to him, his party will push for a constitution of people´s federal democratic republic that is against imperialism and expansionism.

Baidya said the party is in favor of changing the leadership of the government as per the spirit of the seven-point deal reached among the seven political parties. “The party has struck a deal with other political parties to form a national consensus government. We will speed up talks with other parties for the formation of such a government,” he said.

Terming the political document on peace and constitution floated by Dahal a revisionist line, Baidya, at the CC meeting, had presented a separate document that called for immediate revolt and even threatened to split the party if Dahal´s document was endorsed by a majority vote.

While the ideological disputes within the party remain unresolved, party radicals say that [other] parliamentary parties are against the formulation of the constitution of “people´s federal democratic republic” and dignified integration of the PLA, which will obviously lead the party to “people´s revolt” for state capture.