Kathmandu: Nepali Congress lawmakers today demanded fresh verification of the Maoist combatants, after Maoist supremo Prachanda revealed, through a controversial video tape, how the party had succeeded in misguiding UNMIN to increase their strength from about 7,000 to 19,000. During the parliamentary party meeting of the NC held at Singha Durbar, they criticised UNMIN for its inability to ascertain the actual number of combatants.

All lawmakers who aired their views in the meeting concluded that President Dr Ram Baran Yadav saved the nation from the Maoists' attempt of capturing the state power. They termed the President's step appropriate and constitutional, according to party leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat. The NC lawmakers also urged the party to launch nationwide campaign in support of the President's step. They also flayed the former rebels for blocking the process of forming new government by obstructing the parliament process.

They asked the party to probe into the unlawful distribution of billions of rupees from national exchequer among the Maoist cadres. "The lawmakers demanded that the issue be probed through public accounts committee of the parliament," Dr Mahat added. They also expressed serious concern about the Maoists' strategy of buying weaponry by using state coffer to capture the state, as revealed by Prachanda in the tape, he informed.

The meeting also decided to form a high-level mechanism to coordinate with the party's lawmakers representing sub-committees of the Constituent Assembly.