Pocketing fighters’ cash ‘party policy’
The confiscation of cheques by Maoist commanders at the Nawalparasi and Surkhet cantonment of the Maoist combatants appears to be part of the party’s official decision to pocket a certain percentage of the money given to the combatants opting for voluntary retirement.
Dozens of combatants had on Sunday complained that their commanders snatched away the pay cheques and identity cards.
The PLA headquarters has a standing policy of collecting money from combatants to provide relief packages to the disqualified and minors who were discharged two years ago, a leader close to party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said.
A meeting of top Maoist leaders had taken such a decision a few months ago, the leader said.
Demanding a relief package, the disqualified and the minors are up in arms.
During the regrouping process, the Maoist party had called hundreds of combatants who had already left the cantonments for a variety of reasons.
The combatants had assured the party that they would provide 50 percent of the money they get as the party gave them an opportunity to join the regrouping process, a source said.
“Some combatants reneged on the agreement and created a scene,” the source said. In an interview with the Post a few months ago, Dahal had admitted that some top PLA commanders have joined the Young Communist League (YCL) and that the party had to address their fate too. Leaders say Dahal had directed PLA Chief Nanda Kishro Pun to collect a certain portion of the money from among the combatants. However, the Baidya faction has urged the combatants to not accept the condition, as it said the decision was taken by the Dahal camp without taking it into confidence. The Maoist party is pocketing Rs 1,000 every month from each combatant from their salary since the UNMIN verification in 2007.
Speaking at the Reporter’s Club on Monday, PLA Chief Pun said the issue was entirely an internal matter of the party. Arguing that every party has its own rules and regulations of economic discipline, he urged other parties to not create a fuss. He said combatants have to abide by the party’s fiscal policy and discipline.
Posted on: 2012-02-07 07:54
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