"They are speaking of civilian supremacy on one hand and want to form a government unconstitutionally through protests in the streets and in parliament on the other," said Dr Mahat while speaking at the legislature-parliament on Monday.
Dr Mahat´s comments come at a time when the Maoists have decided to hold protests in parliament and in the streets to press for a Maoist-led national unity government and for what they call civilian supremacy.
He also criticized the Maoists for deciding to forge a working unity with radical communist organizations like the Revolutionary International Movement (RIM) and the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organizations of South Asia (COMPOSA). "They are members of such groups even after joining the peace process," he thundered.
He also questioned the integrity of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), saying the UN body has not maintained proper data on the number of Maoist combatants sheltering in the UNMIN-run cantonments.
When he said Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has become supreme commander of the Maoist people´s Liberation Army (PLA) in violation of civilian supremacy, Maoist lawmaker Barsa Man Pun objected. Pun said Dahal had not become supreme commander of the PLA.
Also speaking on the occasion, Minister for Energy Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat criticized the Maoists for arguing that the government is constitutional when they are in power and that it is unconstitutional when they are in opposition. He also said both the CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) have made a mockery of civilian supremacy. He said both parties are taking the law into their own hands and thrashing civil servants and others.
Maoist threat poses no danger
Chairman of the CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal has termed the Maoist decision to protest in the streets and in parliament an empty threat.
"It makes no sense just to issue threats of protests, people have already seen so many protests," said Khanal while talking to reporters at Biratnagar airport on Monday. He was there to attend a function in Biratnagar. "Of course, past agreements should be implemented. No one will cower down just because of empty threats," he said.
Stating that a national unity government is the need of the hour, the UML chairman urged the Maoists to join the government. He said the proposed high-level political mechanism will be the basis for the political process and that the political parties are working on the formation of such a mechanism. Dahal also claimed that the newly introduced special security plan will enable the government to curb the growing instances of crime.
Related story
Vehicle in Mahat's poll campaign ambushed, five injured
