Prachanda’s wish to be prez draws flak

Pokhara, June 26:

Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, Ram Chandra Poudel today flayed the comment by CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda that he wants to be the president of the country after two years.

While inaugurating the western regional level meeting of the Nepal Women’s Association, the sister-wing of the Nepali Congress, Minister Poudel said: “Such a statement by Prachanda iindicates authoritarianism.”

“At the time when CPN-Maoist’s youth wing, Young Communist League, is creating fear among the people, the wish by the party chairman to be the president of the country is a sign of authoritarian attitude,” he said.

He said Prachanda’s remarks reminded him of the authoritarian regime by Lenin.

He also blamed Prachanda of dragging the peaceful country into ethnic and linguistic conflict by blowing up the slogans of ethnic and linguistic autonomy and the right to self-determination.

“The agitation in the Tarai region is an example of the conflict resulted by the Maoist slogan of self-determination. This has delayed the election to constituent assembly from mid-June to November 22,” he said.

He also said that the two factions of the NC should unite to protect democracy and that groundwork for the same is going on.

He also said that he was ready to quit from the post of General Secretary of Nepali Congress, if his taking the post was an obstruction for unity of the party.

Earlier, addresssing another programme, Minister Poudel said: “Those who talk of leading a democratic nation in the 21st century should themselves adopt democratic conduct.”

“Recent remark by Prachanda, on his wish to become president of Nepal after two years, has created a fear among people of the establishment over the rise of another form of imperialism,” Poudel said today, while speaking at a programme organised by Kaski chapter of Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) in Pokhara.