The Coummunist Party of Nepal - Maoist unveiled its election manifesto for the April 10 polls on Friday. They promised to abrogate the 'unequal' 1950 Indo-Nepal peace treaty, divide the country into 11 regions based on ethnicity and raise the per capita income ten-fold.The manifesto unveiled by Maoist chairman Prachanda in Kathmandu, ahead of the Constituent Assembly elections, describe India as an expansionist force.
A Nepalese minister indicated that it may take weeks or months for the tainted doctor to be sent to India.
Nepalese police on Friday decided to slap charges of illegal kidney transplants and foreign currency violations against alleged kingpin Amit Kumar as India wanted him to be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation at the earliest.
The agreement provides a 58-42 allocation for proportional and direct election systems for the 601-seat constituent assembly
Also known as 'Serpent' for his skills of deception and evasion, 63-year-old Sobhraj had filed an appeal in the apex court against the life sentence given to him by the Kathmandu District Court, for the murder of American backpacker Connie Bronzich. He is suspected to have killed at least 12 travellers in India, Thailand and Nepal in the 1970s.
The Indian official is arriving in Kathmandu on a two-day visit on Wednesday afternoon to take stock of the political situation that has developed after a lack of consensus over Maoist demands for declaring the country a republic led to the postponement of November election.
Police raided dozens of houses, lodges, hotels and other places after the near-simultaneous blasts rocked Kathmandu on Sunday.
The weekend attack was condemned by the United Nations and major political parties, including the Maoists who termed it as an attempt to disrupt the Constituent Assembly polls to be held in November and derail the peace process.
The blasts occurred at a time when the home ministry is holding consultation with various security agencies to prepare for the crucial Constituent Assembly polls slated for November.
The occasion passed unnoticed by many as there were no grand celebrations, with the prime minister receiving gifts from party workers and well-wishers at his Baluwatar home and not venturing out, sources close to his family said.
However, the exact date for the polls will be fixed by the cabinet
Chanting slogans against the Indian government, the refugees attempted to burn the effigy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh near the embassy but were stopped by some three dozen riot policemen deployed in the area.
The Loktantra Day celebrations will continue till April 25.
The government maintains that as the armed struggle has already concluded, nobody is required to carry illegal weapons.
This new government has been tasked with steering the nation into the June 20 constituent assembly polls.
Koirala is currently busy in hectic consultations with his party colleagues as well as top leaders of the major political parties to form a new Interim government inclusive of the Maoists.
Koirala told the former rebel that they should wait until the constituent assembly elections expected in June.
Gyanendra said he was 'compelled to seize power as per the people's aspiration to reactivate elected bodies by maintaining law and order.'
Koirala said the government will immediately amend the Constitution to fulfil the genuine demands of the Terai people.
Interestingly for a section which had faith in gunpowder in the past, the Maoists have chosen a Buddhist monk as one of their independent representatives.
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