THT 10 years ago: PM swears by constituent assembly polls

Kathmandu, May 4, 2007

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today said he will take the responsibility for the delay in holding constituent assembly elections only in the capacity of the prime minister. “I am committed to holding constituent assembly elections.

But I will be taking the responsibility for the delay only in the capacity of the prime minister and nothing more,” Koirala, who is also the Nepali Congress (NC) president, said. He was addressing the inaugural function of the party’s district unit presidents’ meeting. Saying that he has not given up the agenda of holding the polls, Koirala warned against bringing about a split in the eight-party alliance.

He said unity among the political parties was a must. “People have reposed faith on the alliance. No one should be irresponsible enough to disappoint them. At least I cannot speak irresponsibly,” Koirala said, dropping hints that other party leaders were behaving in an irresponsible manner.

Koirala told party members representing the district units, the central committee and the party’s sister organisations to come to a consensus on a host of issues in front of them after taking note of the aspirations of the people.

On the demands coming from a section of the society in the Tarai, Koirala said that much of what they have been demanding should be seen in the light of the fact that people do come up with such demands once there is democracy in place.

Amatya group ordered to cough up Rs 300 crore

The Supreme Court today directed Pyush Bahadur Amatya and his brother Daman Bahadur Amatya of the Amatya group to pay back over Rs 300 crore to banks and financial institutions from where they had taken loans about 12 years ago.

A division bench of Justices Bala Ram KC and Tahir Ali Ansari issued the order settling a four-year-old dispute between the financial bodies and the business group. The Amatya group is the biggest wilful defaulter in the country and was under the scanner of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for the past few years. The group currently produces Everest Beer. “To repay loans is the duty of the debtor,” the bench ruled.

The group had taken over Rs 100 crore from the Rastriya Banijya Bank, Nepal Bank Limited, Employees’ Provident Fund, Nepal Industrial Development Corporation (NIDC) and the Agricultural Bank.

The loans had been taken to operate Hotel Fulbari Resort in Pokhara in 1996. However, the group has not paid a single installment till date and the amount now payable stands at Rs 300 crore.