The meeting of the Legislature-Parliament which has been disrupted twice by opposition parties NC and CPN-UML protesting Maoist-led government's decision to legalise land transactions approved by the Maoist "people's governments" during the insurgency has been called today afternoon.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Constituent Assembly (CA) building, New Baneshwor at 1 pm amid threats by opposition parties to continue to disrupt the House session until the government withdraws its controversial Cabinet decision of January 12. However, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Saturday said the government stands by its decision to recognize the wartime land transaction "as per the expectations of the local people".

"The government's decision is not against the comprehensive peace agreement or any political agreement between the parties," he said while speaking during the memorial service for late Maoist leader Bhakta Bahadur Shrestha in Hetauda. He also countered the statements of opposition parties that the cabinet decision runs counter to all the past agreements.

Earlier on Saturday, UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal met Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the latter's new residence located at Lazimpat and urged latter to ask PM Bhattarai to withdraw the cabinet decision to legalise the land transactions approved by the Maoist "people's governments" during the insurgency. He told the Maoist chairman that withdrawal of the controversial decision would resume communication between the major parties. nepalnews.com