KATHMANDU: The code of conduct devised by the Unified CPN-Maoist following vehement criticism from the cadres and the public that the leaders have been practising lavish lifestyle is yet to be implemented.

Though the party leaders have been claiming that they would implement the code of conduct at any cost it will not be easy to do so.

The leaders claim that most of the central committee and politburo members have already handed over their vehicles to the party but they admitted very few of them have submitted their property details.

"Leaders have begun to submit their land ownership certificates," said Narayan Kaji Shrestha 'Prakash' the vice-chairman of the party. He also

claimed that the party would implement the code of conduct at any cost, as people have been criticising the lavish lifestyle of the leaders of the party.

Central committee member and secretary at the party headquarters Bikesh Shrestha said the code of conduct refrained the party leaders from admitting their children in private educational institutions or abroad but it will be difficult to implement the same from this academic year, as those studying abroad cannot return at once.

The Maoists' student wing, All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary, had submitted a memorandum to the central committee asking the party to clarify its stance on private education, as many of the leaders had admitted their children in top private boarding schools. The student wing, however, has been fighting against private education demanding that the state should take the responsibility of school education shutting all the private schools.

ANNISU-R president Lekhnath Neupane claimed that transferring the children studying in the top private boarding schools would be a tough job for the party.

Though deadline for the party leaders to return their vehicles has already passed, leaders still have a few days to submit their property details.

Sources claimed that the leaders joining the Maoists from CPN (Unity Centre Masal) have been opposing the idea of handing over all their property to the party, claiming that the CPN-Maoist leaders had registered their lands and other properties in the names of their relatives before unification.

"Most of the CPN-Maoist leaders do not possess any property as all their property is in the name of the party," claimed politburo member Narayan Sharma.

The decision of the 'purification' was taken in the Kharipati meeting of the party, as the gathering expressed strong concern about the widening rift between the lifestyles of cadres and the leaders. The party is well aware that implementing the code will not be easy. That's why it decided to form a high-level commission led by senior vice-chairman Mohan Baidhya Kiran to investigate into the complaints against the leaders and help implement the code of conduct.

Complaints have been lodged even against party chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' though the leaders refuse to admit that in public. The high-level probe commission will go through the complaints filed until October 1. It has three months to submit its report.

When asked about the progress of the Probe Commission Mohan Baidhya 'Kiran' refused to divulge the details.

One politburo member, Lokendra Bista, claimed that he submitted his vehicle to the party and his only daughter studies

in government school. He claimed that not all the leaders of the erstwhile CPN-Maoist

had submitted their properties to the party. He said the party

had decided to keep a vehicle each for the use of the state committees. Bista added that the party would devise a policy regarding the use of vehicles and the properties of the leaders.

The standing committee meeting held before Prachanda's China visit had decided to direct the leaders to hand over their vehicles and land ownership certificates as soon as possible.

Sharma claimed that the party was collecting the details of the properties belonging to the families of the party leaders to examine their authenticity. "The party will collect the property of the party leaders but not those belonging to their families," he said, adding that the party might use the property to invest in some useful schemes by selling them or could utilise the income generated by renting or leasing the property.

Sharma said earlier the party's mantra of purification that was raised in almost all meetings was mere waste of time but lately the party had made some meaningful headway in this regard but still there's a long way to go in implementing the code.