Palpa, January 1:

Amidst rumours that efforts were on to dismiss Chief of Army Staff Gen Rookmangud Katawal from the post, head of Maoists’ organisation department Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ said the issue did not figure in party meetings.

“A national body like the army should not be pulled into controversies. The army chief’s sudden removal may create more problems than it can solve,” Baidya told a press conference organised by Revolutionary Journalists’ Association Palpa in Tansen today.

While accusing the Nepali Congress of not being serious about taking the peace process to a logical conclusion and writing a new constitution, Baidya claimed that NC’s nine-point demand was anachronic. He, however, said his party was sincere about meeting the demands. Referring to the NC’s proposal to form a democratic front, he claimed that the move would hinder the peace process. Admitting that the Maoist-led government had failed to meet popular expectations, he said national and international forces wanted to see the failure of the Maoists.

He claimed that the government and the CPN (Maoist) were sincerely working to meet the two main goals of taking the peace process to its logical conclusion and writing the new constitution.