Nepal : UCPN (M) vows to carry off peace, statute tasks

Top news in <The Kathmandu Post> : UCPN (M) vows to carry off peace, statute tasks

KATHMANDU, JUL 17 – Top UCPN (Maoist) leaders on Tuesday vowed to complete the peace and constitution writing processes by keeping the party cohesive and correcting “past mistakes.”

Speaking at the inaugural session of the party’s seventh plenum that began in the Capital, the leaders appealed to other parties for consensus to complete the course set by the 12-point agreement.

They also claimed that the party will “accomplish the remaining tasks of revolution” by drafting a new constitution through the Constituent Assembly (CA) and transforming the party into a new one.    

Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the course envisaged by the 2005 12-point understanding can only be completed through consensus among all political parties.

Addressing party cadres, Dahal said the 2005 agreement signed with parliamentary forces was “right” and that the party has no alternative to completing the course it charted.

“The main thrust of the 12-point understanding is restructuring of the state. This historic task is yet to be completed,” Dahal said.

Clearing up a “confusion” among cadres following the split in the UCPN (Maoist), Dahal said his party will not abandon “revolution.” He, however, added that it would only be possible after completing the course laid out by the 12-point agreement and guaranteeing identity-based federalism.

Exactly a month after the Mohan Baidya faction left the party to form the CPN-Maoist, Dahal appealed to leaders of the new party to strive for unity in “correcting past mistakes.” He repeatedly said that the hard-line faction made a mistake by splitting.

“They have committed a blunder as the country is at a critical juncture and a unified party is what we desperately need,” said Dahal. He further claimed that the split was a knife in the public’s heart and it was against the people’s aspirations. Maoist Vice-chairman and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai also assured cadres that the party had not deviated from its goal of revolution, despite having taken diverging paths in the short term.

He too defended the 12-point pact and the decisions taken by the Chunwang meet. He said the top party leaders will have to present a united face and rejected any factional politics within the party. Bhattarai, who was being projected as Dahal’s rival in the party, confirmed that the party will move ahead under Dahal’s leadership.

However, Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the party should also raise the issue of “national independence.” He expressed dissatisfaction over Dahal and Bhattarai’s “soft stance” against India.

Dahal presented his 38-page political document to the plenum and group discussions on the paper have begun. The five-day-long plenum is expected to chalk out the party’s future political course. According to Standing Committee member Krishna Bahadur Mahara, 4,800 cadres have gathered to discuss party politics.

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