Pokhara, May 18:

Businessmen and entrepreneurs here have complained against continuity of Maoists’ donation drive but say it has decreased considerably.

Chairman of Regional Hotel Association, Pokhara, Laxmi Bahadur Bhattarai said the Maoists have been demanding money from entrepreneurs here but they are in no condition to pay a penny. Bhattarai also said that they had appraised the Maoist leadership of their plight.

Chairman of Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Rajendra Kumar Lalchan, said the Maoists are demanding cash and even goods from shops and other business houses in Pokhara Sub-metropolitan City area.

They have demanded a motorcycle each from all motorcycle showrooms in Pokhara and also demanded for clothing from cloth stores, he said.

Despite rumours that large number of Maoists have come into the city are to intensify their donation drive, the businessmen here say such campaign has decreased considerably.

Member of FNCCI, Chandra Krishna Karmacharya, said he is not aware if Maoists have continued their donation drive after the Jana Andolan. Another businessman, Laxmi Prasad Tripathi, of Lekhnath municipality said the Maoists have not collected donation from him at the moment.

Kaski district secretary of Maoists, Karan, said the party has not forced anyone to donate cash and kind for the party. “We have maintained much restraint on the matter of donation collection,” he said.

Maoists have also intensified their fund collection campaign in Biratnagar. The rebels said they were collecting the funds for a people’s gathering to be held on Saturday.

Over 200 Maoist cadres have been mobilised to visit every household in the city to collect donations. The regional office of the National Human Rights Commission has lent its critical support to the Maoists’ drive. The acting regional director of the NHRC, Pradip Jha said the Maoists should do it voluntarily like other political parties. However, he said the NHRC is against the use of force.