By S. Green

KATHMANDU, April 30–The Alliance nominated Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala was sworn in by King Gyanendra at Narayanhiti Palace Sunday morning. Is this a bow to the king? Is this an indication that Koirala does not believe in his ability to run the country and that he still requires a ceremonial monarchy as a guardian? The way he had a choice to say “no” to be part of the Raj Parisad, and he wisely said “no” to it to signal its irrelevance and need for abolition, Koirala had an option to say “no” to the palace and take the oath of his office at Singha Durbar instead of Narayanhiti Rajdurbar. I do not think Koirala’s oath at the palace  earned him any credibility point when he had a choice, especially when weighed against his score of 5 out of 5 in the tabulation of the proposal for elections to a constituent assembly and getting it passed today.

Koirala drove into the palace in his private, Chrysler-Jeep looking vehicle and came out in the official PM’s limousine. He did not say a word to the press on the way out as he was already behind the schedule to address the parliament. Within a swift 4-hour discussion, the Parliament reached an unanimous consensus to approve of the proposal to go for CA elections. Thanks. It is funny that the ex-members of the Royalist govt. and RPPs also said “yea” to the proposal.

Another motion that the Parliament passed today was that it announced a ceasefire with the Maoists and asked the new government to make the Maoists reciprocate it by giving up all forms of violence. The same motion also asked the PM to spell out the schedule and details of the CA.

I ask the PM to say definitively, “Maoists, here is the unconditional CA you asked for. We passed it today without any condition attached to it. We fulfilled your demand. Now lay down your arms before you get to participate in the process. If you do not, then people will decide on your fate through the same ballot.”    

Now, let me switch on to a bit of an analytical mood. Even the constituent assembly is not a full recognition of Nepali people’s sovereignty in that people are only given a detour of some Jane or John Doe to write their political future. If people are given only to vote for some individuals and forced to rely on them for major issues of constitution, people’s rights are seriously Read the rest of this entry »

Paras does it again. According to media reports, Paras Shah, son of Nepal’s beleagured King Gyanendra, hit a passanger bus near Chabahil at around 6 PM on Saturday.  The bus was transporting a wedding party and Paras was on his way back to his palace after golfing at Gokarn.  His Royal Lowness is notorious for reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol, but goes scot free by virtue of his birth into a royal household that happens to be above the law.

No one was injured in the incident, but the bus along with 60 or so passangers was held at the Gausala Police Post for 45 minutes on the orders of the military police escorting Mr Shah  while the culprit sped on towards his lair - scot free as usual.

You would have thought by now His Royal Lowness would have known better than to mess with the Nepali people, but, lo, no - Paras will be Paras no matter what. The palace still rules Nepal and Paras is still above the law and the army is still spraying bullets from helicopter gunships.

Read news in English
Read news in Nepali

Lekhanath  Naupane, a student leader affiliated with the Maoists adresses a public rally at the open theater - known as Khoolah Munch -  in the heart of the capital on Friday.

According to one of our readers, TRUEMAN, who was at the rally, Lekha Nath Neupane “began and ended his speech with a clenched fist salute to rapturous applause from thousands of people.” “Our hands are not only used for making a fist,” he said in the Nepali language. “We are engaged in a revolution for peace but if necessary we can pick up guns and bombs again.”
Photo: Shaligram Tiwari/ Kantipur

The first session of the reinstated House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Nepal’s bi-cameral legislature, concluded Friday with the newly-appointed prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, tabling a motion to hold Constituent Assembly elections to draft a new constitution.
Deputy Speaker of the HoR Chitralekha Yadav conducted the business of the House following the [forced] resignation Wednesday of Speaker Taranath Ranabhat, a Nepali Congress MP who is known to have a soft-corner for the palace.

Parliament in session

MPs wait for the arrival of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala

Photos: Bikash Rauniyar/TPK

 
Democratic freedom: After a long time, Khula Manch is being occupied for political purpose. Seven parties organised victory rallies which converged into a mass gathering.

The area was restricted for mass gathering, rallies and any kind of political program after King Gyanendra took power on February 1, 2004.

Photo: Yubaraj Oli

Maoist rebels have a scheduled a peaceful rally for Firday noon. Sources said the rally is being organized by the student wing of CPN (Maoist) party, All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union - Revolutionary (ANNISU-R).

जितेन्द्र साह-

सशक्त सरकारी सञ्चारमाध्यमको रुपमा रहेको गोर्खापत्र दैनिकको मास्टर हेडबाट बुधबारदेखि ‘ राष्ट्र, राष्ट्रियता, राजमुकुट र प्रजातन्त्रप्रति प्रतिबद्ध’ शब्दाबली हटाइएको छ । सरकारी सुत्रका अनुसार गोर्खापत्र संस्थानको व्यवस्थापनको अनौपचारिक रुपमा मंगलबार बसेको बैठकले उक्त शब्दावली हटाउने निर्णय गरेको हो । मास्टर हेडसँग रहेको गणेशको प्रतिमालाई भने यथावत राखिएको छ ।

माघ १९ को शाही घोषणा लगतै गठन भएको मन्त्रिपरिषदका सदस्य सूचना तथा सञ्चारमन्त्री टंक ढकालले ब्यवस्थापनको बैठक विनै पत्रकार युवराज गौतमलाई सम्पादक नियुक्तगरि २०६१ चैत ५ देखि उक्त मास्टर हेड राख्न लगाएको स्राेतले जनाएको हो । र, त्यसको केेहि दिनपछि नै  ‘ गोरखापत्र’ लाई ‘ गोर्खापत्र’ भनि नामाकरण गरिएको थियो । पहिलाकै नामाकरण राख्ने बारे सल्लाह भइरहेको व्यवस्थापनले जनाएको छ । Read the rest of this entry »

NCP (Maoist) on Wednesday night has announced a unilateral ceasefire for three months with immediate effect. The action was taken only some hours after calling off a crippling blockade of the capital and all district headquarters.

Maoist Chairman Prachanda, in a statement, said, “Our party once again, through this statement, announces a unilateral ceasefire for three months with immediate effect.”

Good action from Maoist side this time.

————————————————

नेपाल कम्युनिष्ट पार्टी -माओवादी)
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)
केन्द्रीय समिति
Central Committee

प्रेस वक्तव्य

लोकतन्त्र, शान्ति र अग्रगमनका लागि हाम्रो पार्टीले सात संसदवादी राजनैतिक दलहरुसंग १२-बुँदे समझदारी कायम गर्न तथा समझदारी अनुसार शान्तिपूर्ण जनसंघर्षमा समेत सक्रिय पहल लिएको कुरा सर्वविदितै छ । समझदारी र संघर्षमा भइरहेको संयुक्त पहललाई विश्वास गरेर नै सडकमा जनसमुदायले जनसंघर्षकै इतिहासमा वीरता र सिर्जनशीलताको नयाँ इतिहास रचना गर्‍यो । निशर्त संविधानसभा र गणतन्त्र, जनसंघर्षको प्रमुख नारा र आदर्श बन्न पुगेको कुरा दिनको घाम जत्तिकै छर्लङ्ग छ । नेपालको इतिहासमा मात्र नभएर विश्व इतिहासमा समेत स्वणिर्म अक्षरमा लेखिने वर्तमान जनसंघर्ष निरंकुशतन्त्रका विरुद्ध सशस्त्र र शान्तिपूर्ण संघर्षको विशिष्ट संश्लेषणका रुपमा अगाडि आएको छ । यो विशिष्टताको गहन, अध्ययन, विश्लेषण र संश्लेषणको प्रक्रिया वौद्धिक र आम जनताका बीचमा समेत लामो समयसम्म चलिरहेको छ ।

Read the rest of this entry »

King Gyanendra has not still addressed anything on the key issues of constituent assembly and the control over the army, which is the only way to bring the Maoists into the mainstream politics.

If the parties decide that they’d decide on these matters at the re-instated House of Representatives, there is a grotesque risk of getting caught into the ‘royal mousetrap’ again. Even if they announced for the constituent assembly polls, what if the king refuses or puts forward conditions? Given the ideological differences among the seven parties on looking at the Maoists, and the disputes that would certainly arise among themselves, the unwavering support they’re getting from the masses may dwindle down considerably. Read the rest of this entry »

By Suman Pradhan

That loud sound you just heard is the collective groan over the nomination of Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala as the new consensus Prime Minister.

As the comments on this website, and many others, have shown, Mr Koirala’s fourth coming (or is it fifth, or even sixth??) as prime minister has not gone down well among the mass of common Nepali citizens both inside and outside Nepal.

On a personal level, I would be lying if I said I am completely enthused by this new development. I too sympathize with many of the voices that see Mr Koirala as a flawed historical relic rather than someone capable of leading Nepal to a better future, particularly at this crucial time. But this is not why I am writing this piece. Read the rest of this entry »

By Rabi Khadka

Finally, it seems that the better sense has prevailed. I say “better sense” because the Seven Party Alliance still had a choice to reject the latest of King Gyanendra’s overtures but choose to accept. Perhaps, it came too late. Perhaps, every country must go through the hardship to realize and cherish what is dear to its people. In Nepal’s case – democracy. And perhaps, Nepali politicians and the people are wiser now to protect those values for which so many people have lost their lives, so many imprisoned and still many others injured. Read the rest of this entry »

[ Full text of the statement issued by the Central Committee of NCP (Maoist) on April 25.]

काठमाडौं, बैशाख १२

नेपाल कम्युनिष्ट पार्टी (माओवादी) द्वारा आज जारी गरिएको प्रेस वक्तव्य

नेपाल कम्युनिष्ट पार्टी (माओवादी)

केन्द्रीय समिति

प्रेस वक्तव्य

          आधुनिक नेपालमा ०७ सालको दिल्ली संझौतादेखि शाही सामन्ती राजतन्त्रबाट पटक-पटक धोका पाएको कटु अनुभवबाट शिक्षा लिएर यसपटक नेपाली जनताले संविधानसभाको निर्वाचन र लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रको पक्षमा विश्वलाई नै चकित पार्ने पहलकदमीको प्रदर्शन सडकबाट गरिरहेका छन् । निशर्त संविधानसभामार्फ् दस वर्षलामो गृहयुद्धको शान्तिपूर्ण र अग्रगामी समाधान गरिने ने.क.पा.(माओवादी) र सात संसदीय राजनैतिक दलका बीचको १२ बुँदे समझदारीले आम नेपाली जनतामा राजनैतिक विश्वास र उर्जा प्रदान गर्‍यो । त्यही विश्वास र उर्जाको बलमा जनसमुदायले सामन्ती राजा र राजतन्त्रका विरुद्ध आफ्नो अपार घृणा र आक्रोशलाई छताछुल्लरुपमा गाउँ-शहर, पहाड-मधेश र स्वदेश-विदेश सबैतिर व्यक्त गरिरहेका छन् । Read the rest of this entry »