Kathmandu, May 18:

CPN-Maoist senior leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai today reiterated that the Prime Minister should step down to facilitate the new government formation process.

“The political height of PM Girija Prasad Koirala would not be lessened if he quits now. He should hand over the power in a peaceful manner to the new political force, following the people’s mandate expressed through the constituent assembly election,” he said.

Addressing a programme was organised by Federation of Nepali Journalists, Kathmandu District Committee, Bhattarai urged mediapersons to support the soon-to-be formed new government.

“We have seen most of the Nepali media being fair and some deliberately acting against us. Therefore, we urge all of them to give up prejudice and be positive,” he said.

He assured that the issue of press freedom would be guaranteed in the preamble of the new constitution. “Press freedom will be established as the fundamental right in the new statute,” he said.

Similarly, he also called on all political parties to maintain unity as the lack of understanding among the parties would eventually strengthen the royal palace.

He asked Koteshwor locals not to politicise the incident of Ramhari Shreshta’s killing and claimed that those who were defeated in the CA election were trying to take advantage of the incident for political aim.

On the occasion, FJN general secretary Poshan KC said that the new government should guarantee press freedom.

Democratic governments had launched attack on press freedom in the past, he said. “The royal regime alone was not responsible for suppressing press freedom in Nepal. When Birendra Sah was killed and Yubraj Ghimire was arrested, democratic government was in power,” he said.

High-level body to oversee cooperatives

Kathmandu: Senior Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai said on Sunday that the Maoist-led new government would form a powerful body at the central level to coordinate activities of the cooperatives functioning at the grassroot levels.

Addressing an interaction on the Role of Cooperatives in Economic Revolution, organised by Metro Cooperative Ltd, Dr Bhattarai stressed the need for a drastic change in the functioning of cooperatives in rural area for the uplift of rural population.

He underscored the need to develop rural cooperatives in three specialised sectors — production, saving and credit and distribution — to facilitate farmers for their sustained economic prosperity.

“We have come up with economic vision for the country for the coming 10, 20 and 40 years through which we will achieve double-digit economic growth, aided by public-private partnership and cooperative movement,” he said. “Just continuing the present activities would not help achieve the post-revolution economic target. There must be a drastic change in

the mode of production as well,” he said. — HNS