KATHMANDU: Taking almost a year’s time to work out preparatory tasks, the two communist outfits -- UCPN-Maoist and CPN-Unified—finally announced their merger amid a function held at Rastriya Sabha Griha in Kathmandu Saturday afternoon.

UCPN-Maoist, the largest political party in the House, and CPN-Unfied led by led by Navaraj Subedi formally proclaimed their unification in the presence of Nar Bahadur Karmacharya, the only surviving founding member of the Communist Party of Nepal.

Addressing the function, UCPN-M chairman PK Dahal said the unification bears special significance at a time when reactionary forces, both at home and from abroad, are trying to make off with the achievements of the people’s movement that triggered a paradigm shift in the Nepali politics.

The UCPN-Maoist chairman also expressed his resolve to go on a cleansing drive so as to keep the party from deviating from its original revolutionary ideals.

Likewise, Navaraj Subedi said the merger of the two communist parties is a hard-blow to regressive and counter-revolutionary forces operating within and beyond the country.