DADELDHURA: Senior leader of the Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba, today claimed that the Maoist fighters could be managed within 15 days if the Maoists cooperated.

Deuba, who is in Dadeldhura to meet party activists, said statute drafting was not possible unless the management issue of the Maoist combatants was settled. However, the Maoists were neither ready to cooperate to manage its fighters nor to draft the constitution, he said.

The Maoists instead, always wanted conflict in the country, he said. He blamed that the Maoists were trying their best to capture the state by threatening people. Deuba further expressed doubt if the Unified CPN-Maoist chairman "who changes his words quite often" would be of any help in the constitution drafting process.

He said that the Maoists were in fact against the constitution drafting process and federalism. Urging the Maoists to shun violence and debate ideas, he said, "Nepali Congress will not tolerate if the constitution making process is sidelined." Reiterating NC's stance on peace, he said that the party was ready to make sacrifices for sustainable peace in the country.

Koirala sees dirty game

DHADING: Acting president of the Nepali Congress, Sushil Koirala, today said a "dirty game" was being played under the Maoist-raised issues of civilian supremacy and national autonomy.

Addressing a press conference organised by the Dhading chapter of Nepal Press Union, Koirala said the UCPN-Maoist, which was unable to speak anything about national issues while in government, had been raising the issues from the road only from outside. Stating that the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, among other political parties, played crucial role in bringing the Maoists to the present situation, he said the Maoists did not have alternatives but to join hands with other political parties.

He further said that solutions to problems could be found only if leaders of all the political parties and the Prime Minister were involved in the high-level political mechanism.

Koirala also urged the UCPN-Maoist not to create obstructions against the mechanism.