Session resumes as PM recaps commitments

No immediate implementation of the decision to declare 7,000 Maoists killed during conflict as martyrs

Agreement with UML to be implemented immediately, Sujit BK to be arrested

Budget spending only after parliamentary consensus

Report on YCL vacating public and private buildings to be tabled in parliament

Return of property in progress, govt to implement parliamentary panel’s report on property return

KATHMANDU, April 15: The meeting of the parliament stalled for two weeks resumed Wednesday following Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s fresh volley of assurances to address demands raised by the second largest ruling party, CPN-UML, and opposition parties immediately.

The agitating ruling party CPN-UML, main opposition Nepali Congress and other opposition parties let the House enter into its regular business in response to the prime minister’s commitment to end culture of impunity and doing away with the Maoist culture of taking unilateral decisions on the issues of national importance. Though the winter session of the House was called for March 29, it couldn’t enter into formal business until Wednesday due to protests from UML and NC, among other opposition parties. [break]

PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal addresses the parliament.

Dipesh Shrestha

The prime minister reiterated his commitment at the parliament meeting, vowing to go hand in hand with all the parties in the Constituent Assembly for the success of the ongoing peace process and ensure that a new constitution is promulgated on time.

“I want to reiterate that the government is committed to take each and every decisions related to peace process after making political consensus,” he announced in the parliament meeting that convened after postponement of six similar meetings in the past two weeks.

Dahal said the government has been implementing nine-point agreement signed with Nepali Congress last year. “Most of them have already been implemented and some are in the process of implementation,” he said. “The Office of the Prime Minister has already informed the Commitment Implementation Monitoring Parliamentary Special Committee about the progress made toward returning of property seized by Maoist party and its sister organizations,” said Dahal. He said further steps to this end will be taken as per the report of the committee.

The prime minister also pledged to submit report immediately in the parliament on the progress made towards returning government and private buildings and properties occupied by Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League cadres. He did not mention the timeframe though.

The Prime minister gave special emphasis on taking the political parties into confidence while taking decisions that have political importance or are related to the peace process. “The commissions to be formed under the provisions of Comprehensive Peace Accord and Interim Constitution will be formed only after garnering political consensus,” he told the House.

Dahal also vowed in the House that the government will formulate a clear national policy for declaring someone as martyr and providing him/her state honor and facility. “Based on the policy, all the people who were killed in the course of past conflict and political movements will be treated equally.” Nepali Congress has strongly protested the Maoist-led government’s decision to declare only the Maoist cadres killed during insurgency as martyrs.

Dahal also said the government would not take any decision regarding management of arms and Maoist combatants going beyond the provisions of the December 2006 agreement on arms and armies. Dahal said the government was committed to implement the Campaign for New Nepal and Youth Self-employment Program through all-party consensus. He said the government will take parliament’s consent while spending money from state coffers in important development projects other than those included in the annual budget.

He also expressed commitment not to infringe upon the independence of judiciary and not to make any transfer of government employees against the “set norms”.

Prime Minister Dahal repeatedly said he was committed to end state of impunity in the country. He said the government would immediately bring the Prachanda Thaiba’s murder-accused Sujit BK to book, provide the victim’s family with compensation and arrange education to Thaiba’s children. “And the government is committed to take action against those involved in murder of Ram Hari Shrestha and journalist Uma Singh as well,” he added.

He also expressed commitment to implement report of official enquiries in a number of incidents including murder of UML candidate in Surkhet-1 and violence in Kapilvastu on the eve of last year’s Constituent Assembly polls.

The Maoist members in the government have already given up double security system, prime minister said. “The UN-registered weapons kept for security of the Maoist leaders will be managed as decided by the special committee,” he said.

Responding to demands raised by Tarai Madhes Democratic Party, the fifth largest in the Constituent Assembly, Dahal said the government was committed to end the confusion regarding interpretation of the term “major political parties” mentioned in Article 146 of the Interim Constitution through consultation with all the political parties in the CA. “TMDP’s another demand will be addressed tomorrow [Thursday] itself as we are going to decide on withdrawing case filed against some people based on political prejudice. We will take into consideration a writ petition filed at the Supreme Court against the government’s decision to withdraw such cases.”

Earlier, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Laxman Ghimire, CPN-UML lawmaker Shankar Pokharel, TMDP leader Hridayesh Tripathi and Rastriya Janashakti Party leader Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani doubted whether the PM’s commitments would be implemented.

Pokharel demanded that the PM should take initiatives to include all the parties in his cabinet to ensure smooth drafting of the constitution and for success of the peace process.