Narayangadh, May 21 

Nepali Congress vice president Sushil Koirala said today that after the Maoists renounced violence and joined the government, the reign of terror by the Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League has begun in the country.  He said this while inaugurating the 10th convention of the Nepali Congress-affiliated Nepal Students’ Union (NSU) in Bharatpur.

NC general secretary and Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel said the terror spread by the CPN-Maoist and its sister organisations should be countered with ideas. Stating that the monarchy is at its end, Poudel said, “A monarchy without crown is more dangerous than one with a crown.”

He said monarchy cannot revive in Nepal.  The tendency of trying to solve problems by staying out of the constituent assembly is not progressive, Poudel said adding: “Feudalism should be eliminated through the CA.” “At the time when the nation has got rid of insurgency and civil war, it is the duty of the Nepali Congress to help Maoists get rid of their tendency to resort to terror tactics,” Home minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula said.  “The CA poll will make the people sovereign,” he said, adding that the eight parties should tackle any conspiracy hatched to foil the alliance.

NC joint general secretary Dr Rambaran Yadav, and leaders of various student organisations also expressed their views on the occasion. Altogether 1,300 NSU representatives and 700 observers are attending the convention that will conclude on Thursday.

Chances of NC-NC (D) merger remote: Deuba

Kathmandu, May 21

President of the Nepali Congress-Democratic (NC-D), Sher Bahadur Deuba, today said chances of his party uniting with the Nepali Congress (NC) were getting “remote.”

“The merger appears remote now. We have been suggesting that the spadework in this connection be done by a task force. But this does not seem to be sinking down with the NC leadership,” Deuba told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister and NC president Girija Prasad Koirala today.

The meeting took place in the wake of speculations that the two parties could coalesce anytime soon following a meeting between Koirala and founding member of the NC Krishna Prasad Bhattarai some days ago. In today’s meeting, Deuba expressed anguish at the way some NC leaders were spreading word that he was insisting on the status of the second man in the united outfit. “He made it clear to the Prime Minister that he is not at all keen on being given an important position.

His only demand is that party workers down to the village level must be accommodated in the united outfit. This is not agreeable to Koirala,” NC-D leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat said.