Bhairahawa, July 22

Province 5 Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel has said that the development campaign in the province has not been affected by the activities of the Communist Party of Nepal led by Netra Bikram Chand.

Pokharel said this while speaking at a parliamentary committee meeting of the Provincial Assembly today. One-and-a-half years after the provincial government assumed legitimacy, the chief minister appeared in a parliamentary committee for the first time today.

He presented himself at today’s meeting to respond to queries related to security and good governance after the Province Affairs and Law Committee sent an invitation to him.

At the meeting, Provincial Assembly members asked him questions related to the security of the province, activities of the banned CPN and human rights situation and monitoring of development activities in the province.

“The government is serious about peace and security in the province,” said the CM, responding to the queries.

Meanwhile, despite the chief minister’s assurance, it is important to note that the banned party, whose leader is from Kapilvastu, a district in the province, has been launching its activities from the province.

Police last month had seized three weapons from Chand’s village. As the police tried to seize the arms and arrest CPN cadres, they had to face obstruction from local women and schoolchildren, who surrounded the police to prevent them from doing what they wanted to do.

Similarly, other districts in the province, such as Dang, Bardiya, Rolpa and Jajarkot have also witnessed some unwanted incidents perpetrated by the banned political party.

So far, police have arrested 10 CPN cadres from Rupandehi and pressed treason, explosive and public offence cases against them. Seven persons of the party have been arrested from Kapilvastu.