Pokhara, November 29:

Former prime minister and Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala today said the Maoists were losing themselves in the word-maze.

Addressing a mass meet organised as a part of NC’s national awareness campaign here today, Koirala said, “The Maoists have lost themselves in their verbal maze. The burden of pulling them out rests on my shoulder,” said the octogenarian leader. “Nepali Congress should be active to save the nation, at a time when the Maoists have been a failure, thanks to their the acts of embarrassing businessmen, ballooning the budget, shutting down industries, attacking the judiciary and breaching the past agreements.”

“The Maoists are using the king’s rhetoric to attack the independent judiciary,” he said, adding, “Nepalis cannot trust the Maoists as the latter are not serious about implementing the past agreements.”

Reiterating that he would not let the merger of People’s Liberation Army take place with Nepal Army at any cost, he said, “Let the Maoists manage their PLA combatants and Young Communist League themselves.”

Stating that the Maoists had not prioritised the task of drafting the statute, he said, “This state of affairs is necessitating NC to take a lead in drafting the new constitution.”

Warning the Maoists against ending Gurkha recruitment, he said, “The Maoists should be able to stop all the Nepalis from going abroad, if the Gurkha Recruitment Centre were to be closed.” He also warned of taking action if anybody attacked and abused his party cadres.

NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba accused the Maoists of trying to impose dictatorship by means of attacking independent judiciary and the press.

He blamed Maoist chairman Prachanda for attacking independent judiciary with a view to giving credence to their kangaroo courts. He said the Maoists had not stopped resorting to killing, abduction and looting.

NC acting president Sushil Koirala said the Maoists had not paid heed to implementing past agreements.

NC vice president Ram Chandra Poudel accused the Maoists of confusing the people.