Maoists give Nepal PM 48 hours to step down
Nepal’s main Opposition Maoist party on Monday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the embattled Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to quit, warning that the failure to implement the deal that paved the way for the extension of the Parliament’s term would result in a “serious crisis”.
The PM had agreed to step down to secure the support of United CPN-Maoist party, which has nearly 40 per cent of the seats in the Parliament, to extend by one year the Constituent Assembly’s term that was to expire on May 28. Narayankaji Shrestha, a top Maoist lea-der, accused the 22-party ruling coalition of trying to deceive his party by misinterpreting the crux of the agreement. Shrestha warned that the PM’s failure to resign within five days of the deal would result in serious crisis. “PM Madhav Kumar Nepal must resign by Tuesday evening,” he was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times. Hardline Maoist leader Mohan Vaidya “Kiran” said the Prime Minister has given verbal assurance to resign within five days while signing the three-point agreement to extend the term of the Constituent Assembly on May 28.
A situation of mistrust will prevail if they fail to stick to the three-point agreement, Vaidya warned. The Maoists daily, Janadisha, quoted Vaidya as saying that the failure of the Prime Minister to step down within five days of the deal would result in “serious crisis.”
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Govt honour roll sparks row in Nepal
SUDESHNA SARKAR
KATHMANDU
The Nepal government on Monday came under fresh attack from human rights groups, the kin of “martyrs” who laid down their lives for democracy and even the chief justice over its controversial new roll of honours.
Hundreds of people led by the mother of a young man who was killed by security forces during the pro-democracy protests against then King Gyanendra’s absolute rule in 2006 staged fresh protests in the capital on Monday. They blocked the Kalanki area and brought traffic to a halt demanding that the government of PM Madhav Ku-mar Nepal revoke its new roll of honours. —IANS
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