KATHMANDU: Chairman of the Unified CPN-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is leaving for London on Saturday to meet his party cadres living there. Prachanda, his wife Sita and his son Prakash are leaving for London via Qatar airways at 9:30 am. According to Prachanda's son, the aim of the visit is to attend a political training programme organised by its party cadres living there.

Prachanda is also expected to strengthen ties with international communist organisations during his visit. The recent central committee meeting had decided to strengthen the ties with Revolutionary International Movement and Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia.

However, Vice-chairman of the party, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, claimed that the party chairman had no such programme to meet the members of international communist organisations besides attending the programme being organised by the party cadres living there. He said that chairman Dahal might meet British politicians but had not scheduled any programmes for it. He was invited by the Joint Nepali Front which is close to the UCPN-Maoist, Dahal's aide Om Sharma informed.

Meanwhile, the UCPN-Maoist today started their protest programme at both the legislative parliament and the streets from today.