Political Briefs

Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai arrived in Kathmandu to make arrangements for the Nepal visit by Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukharjee. Talking to journalists at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Mathai said that India wants peace, stability and prosperity in Nepal. “India has been abiding interests in the peace, stability and prosperity of Nepal and whatever we wish to do in the cooperation between our two nations is aimed towards this end,” said Mathai.

The Supreme Court (SC) ruled that the term of the Constituent Assembly (CA) could be extended for one last time by a maximum of six months. The verdict was delivered by a full SC bench comprising Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi, Justices Damodar Prasad Sharma, Rajkumar Prasad Shah, Kalyan Shrestha and Prem Sharma. Ruling that the CA term should not be extended repeatedly, the apex court ordered the government to either go for a referendum or hold another CA election if the current CA fails to draft the new Constitution within the next six months. The CA term which has already been extended thrice expires on November 30. The government has already tabled a bill in Parliament to amend Article 138 (2) of the Interim Constitution for the extension of CA term by another six months.

Samyukta Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (SJTMM), an armed outfit active in Terai, agreed to give up arms and join peaceful politics. The group agreed to handover all its weapons to the government by December 24. The decision was reached during the talks between the group's top leaders and a team led by Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, satya Pahadi. The government has agreed to release all SJTMM cadres who are in jail or in police custody.

A Central Committee (CC) meeting of the CPN-UML concluded that PM Dr Baburam Bhattarai should step down to make way for the formation of a national consensus government. The leaders present in the meeting also claimed that the significance of the current government had ended with the signing of the seven-point agreement—an understanding among the big three political parties and Madhesi Front on the peace process.

Leaders close to Nepali Congress (NC) senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba boycotted the party's Central Committee (CC) meeting. They were protesting NC President Sushil Koirala's "indifference" to their demand of withdrawing the decision to dissolve the central working committees of the party's sister organizations a couple of months back. Meanwhile, issuing a press statement, Koirala said such differences were bound to happen in a democratic party. "This is the beauty of democracy. The minor differences seen in our party should not be taken as otherwise. I have already told party colleagues that all differences will be settled through consensus or through party procedures. That's why I had rejected Deuba's resignation from the CC earlier," said Koirala.

 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the cabinet decision to recommend to the President for amnesty to murder-convicted UCPN (Maoist) lawmaker Balkrishna Dhungel. A special bench of SC Justices Kalyan Shrestha, Sushila Karki and Kamal Narayan Das issued the order. The cabinet on Nov 13 had decided to request President Dr Ram Baran Yadav to pardon Dhungel. Sabitri Shrestha, sister of Ujjan Shrestha, who was killed by Dhungel in 2004, had filed a writ petition at the apex court against the cabinet decision. The SC had then stayed the cabinet decision. "The government´s attempts to grant amnesty to murder-convicted lawmaker Dhungel is inappropriate," reads the SC order, "The bench hereby orders the authorities concerned to hold the cabinet decision as it is and not forward or implement it until the final verdict on the writ."

Leading a nine-member delegation, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha left for China. Shrestha’s trip is believed to be a curtain raiser for Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Kathmandu in the third week of December. According to sources, Shrestha will also discuss Chinese investment in Nepal's infrastructure and hydropower, cultural exchange, connectivity and trade facilitation.

The government formed an eight-member State Restructuring Commission (SRC), which is supposed to work out the federal model of the country. The SRC members are: Stella Tamang, Malla K Sundar, Krishna Hacchethu, Surednra Mahato, Yogendra Jha, Sarbaraj Khadka, Ramesh Dhungel and Sabitra Gurung. The newly-formed SRC is without its chairperson as the parties failed to agree on a single name after each party proposed its own candidate for the post. As per the understanding, the members will chair the SRC meetings by rotation according to the alphabetical order of their names.


18 leaders including former KMC Mayor PL Singh and Tharuhat Terai Party Chairman Laxman Tharu were briefly detained from Bhotahity of the capital. Police said they were arrested while trying to take out a torch rally. The Kathmandu district administration also issued prohibitory orders in different parts of the capital in view of the Nepal Bandh called by the arrested leaders on November 23.