Bhattarai accuses government of dilly dallying

A senior Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has accused the government of dilly dallying in the promulgation of interim constitution, formation of interim parliament and interim cabinet. Talking to Kantipur Television, Dr. Bhattarai has also accused that "a certain element" is actively working to prolong and linger the peace process with the aim of derailing the elections to Constituent Assembly (CA).



A senior Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai (File Photo)

"We have seen this element active during the negotiations that led to November 8 agreement and also during the signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement," he said. Dr. Bhattarai, however, refused to point out the element. "This is not the right time to expose the element. We will do so when needed," he said.

Dr. Bhattarai claimed that the Maoist side was ready to discuss and promulgate the interim constitution. He accused that the government side was not forthcoming to talk on this issue even though the November 8 timeline had fixed November 26 as the date for promulgating interim constitution.

Dr. Bhattarai also vehemently argued that all sides must show sincerity to conduct the CA elections by mid-June 2007.

Meanwhile, talking to BBC Nepali Service, Dr. Shekhar Koirala, a close aide to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, said that during Sunday's meeting between PM Koirala and Prachanda, both leaders "expressed their commitment to abide by the mid-June deadline for holding CA polls."

"As far as other timelines regarding interim constitution or parliament are concerned, there can be a delay of 2-4 days, but the two leaders agreed that the CA polls should not be delayed," he added. nepalnews.com sd Nov 27 06