Poudel: Maoist still war-minded

POKHARA, Sept 29 - Nepali Congress (NC) Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel said on Sunday that the country has not been freed from the state of civil war yet as the CPN-Maoist is still continuing its parallel governments. Speaking at a press meet organised by the Press Union Kaski yesterday, ...

"The Maoist’s dillydallying for the management of its arms and rehabilitation of its combatants confined inside the UN-monitored cantonments and continuity of parallel governments are against the basic norms of democracy, nation and public security," said Poudel.

When asked whether the NC would take to the street protesting against the Maoists, Poudel said his party was not prepared to start such agitation immediately and dismiss the Maoist-led coalition government.

However, Poudel said that the Maoist itself should take immediate initiative for the implementation of past pacts and understandings to end the conflict situation and return the properties it had seized to date.

"Otherwise, NC will start a massive movement against the Maoist," he warned.

Referring to the Prime Minister and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's remarks that his party neither has faith in parliamentary democracy nor can it establish a communist state immediately, Poudel said, "Dahal has tried to fulfill his impossible political ambition by following the path of late King Mahendra.