No forced donation, Dahal tells cadre
Useful Links
» A new way to read online, exact replica of your daily and magazine
» For all you tweety fans out there!
» Allows you to find only those news from any date you choose!
» Search any news/ articles by author/ category/ date/ keyword
KATHMANDU, APR 29 - UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday told his cadres involved in the donation collection drive for their upcoming agitation not to intimidate people into donating. He reminded them that the party's policy was to collect voluntary donations.
Amid complaints about extortion by Maoist cadres in different districts, the Maoist supremo sought to explain the occurrence as a few isolated incidents. "We heard complaints about forced donation drive by our cadres in a few areas including Chitwan," said Dahal at the 'decisive dialogue' session of the three major political parties organised by Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI). "The party brass has already directed them to stop such activities."
The business community had protested the Maoists' 'extortion' drive in Chitwan and registered complaints at the District Administration Office (DAO). The Maoists have intensified their donation drive across the country for the May 1 mass rally and the indefinite general strike called by them from May 2. Thousands of Maoist cadres have already reached Kathmandu to participate in the agitation. Dahal, however, said it was his party's compulsion to seek donation as it does not have the money to mobilise the masses. "That's why, we are asking donation from the people."
He berated the tendency of some people to call the Maoists' donation drive a terror and downplaying the prevailing corruption that has gobbled up millions of rupees. He termed the current government the most corrupt in the history of the country.
CPN (UML) chairman Jhala Nath Khanal responded to Dahal saying that his party, being a ruling one,
was ready to probe any case of corruption committed by any government official. "I urge anybody who has such complaints to go to the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority."
Nepali Congress (NC) leader Ram Sharan Mahat proposed keeping
the economic sector out of politics saying the politicisation of major hydropower projects was the main impediment to the development of the hydropower sector. Pointing a finger at the Maoists, he asked, "Who is hampering work in the Upper Karnali and Arun III projects even when investors are interested in pouring in money?"
He also stressed on the need for prohibiting bandas for at least three years to create a conducive investment climate. "The economy can flourish only in a peaceful environment which was evident for some years after the political change of 1990." During the interaction, FNCCI office-bearers pasted the commitment papers of the 17 political parties including the three largest ones on the wall.
The composite dialogue mainly focused on political issues. However, Constituent Assembly (CA) member and industrialist Rajendra Kheran raised the issue of the current trade deficit that may seriously hamper the economy in a few years if the gap is not bridged.
Posted on: 2010-04-29 08:16
Post Your Comment