Don’t accept Maoists’ demands, NC tells Koirala

In an act of open defiance and warning, Nepali Congress leaders, incluidng parliamentarians on Saturday warned Prime Minister G P Koirala that they would openly defy the party hight command if he succumbed to the Maoists demand for going republic immediately and adopting the proportional system of representation.

A meeting chaired by party General Secretary K B Gurung said the party should stick to the mandate it has received from the General Assembly that any decision on monarchy should be taken by the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly once it is elected, and that the polls should take place under a mixed electoral system—50 per cent under the first past the post system and the rest under the PR system—as agreed among the ruling coalition, including the Maoists, earlier.

The meeting which was attended by more than 20 central committee members and nearly 50 parliamentarians criticised Koirala for having conceded each and every demand of the Maoists without securing their commitment to the peace process.

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But in a clear sign that Koirala cares little for the growing revolt, he designated Sitaula as the new spokesperson of the government.

“This was just to warn the government not to surrender too much to the Maoists and implement their agenda uniliterally”, Gurung said.