Tension brewing between the government and the Maoists
With differences deepening over issues such as restoration of police posts and promulgation of interim constitution, tension has once again flared up between the government and the Maoists.
In one of the most forthright comments he has made in recent times, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala warned Maoists that the elections to the Constituent Assembly might not be held on time if they do not allow the restoration of police posts. "They have to allow restoration of police posts in all the places from where they were displaced in the past. They have to allow the VDC secretaries to visit the villages. If they do not, then they will be held responsible for the consequences," PM Koirala told reporters in Biratnagar on Monday before he headed to capital Kathmandu.
In what is certain to pique the Maoists, PM Koirala further added that he would not withdraw the appointments of ambassadors – the issue over which the Maoists had flexed their muscle and imposed six-hour valley bandh on December 19.
If that was not enough, Koirala has already started voicing his second thoughts about the interim constitution that was finalized and signed by all the top leaders of eight parties. He has clearly expressed his dissatisfaction over the provisions of the interim constitution that makes a Prime Minister all powerful. "I believe that the unlimited powers vested in a Prime Minister can turn him into an autocrat. This can even turn me into an autocrat," he said.
Maoists, on the other hand, are seething with anger over these remarks. According to Dev Gurung, a member of the Maoist talks team, "Prime Minister himself might be against holding the constituent assembly elections." He added that restoration of all police posts were not essential for CA polls.
On Monday, Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara, too, issued a statement expressing 'anger' over the government's intervention in the sit-in staged by civil society leaders demanding immediate promulgation of interim constitution.
Due to the prolonged process of the monitoring of the management of arms and armies, the steps towards promulgation of interim constitution and formation of interim parliament and government have been halted for the time being. How the Maoists will react to these developments remains to be seen. nepalnews.com sd Jan 02 07
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