Its not our policy to boycott elections: Mohan Baidya

KATHMANDU: Chairman of the CPN Maoist Mohan Baidya aka Kiran has said that his party has not decided to boycott the purported Constituent Assembly elections at the policy level.

The Maoist think tank who split from the UCPN Maoist after masterminding the the ten year long insurgency and formed the CPN Maoist said that his party was in favor of ” fruitful CA elections” and added that his party was presently in the “wait and see” mode, referring to the government and major parties’ reaction to his party’s 12 point demand.

Baidya said that his party is in favor of CA elections but maintained that they would not participate in it unless political parties scrapped the 11 point and and 25 point agreement reached between the four major political parties which paved the way for the formation of the incumbent Khilaraj Regmi government, while speaking to a delegation of journalists led by Reporters Club Nepal’s president Rishi Dhamala on Monday in the capital.

“Instead of resolving crisis through joint effort, those agreements (11-point and 25-point) were taken by brushing aside 24 political parties. No one should think that they can resolve crisis by brushing aside,” Baidya said adding that his party would not object to anyone if the intentions were to make pro-people constitution.

He said that his party would not negotiate with the high level political mechanism arguing that it did not have necessary credentials while informing that his party was in informal negotiations with political parties.

” The government has approached us for negotiations but we have demanded scrapping of the 25 point agreement, appointment of Lok Man Singh Karki’s appointment to CIAA chair and stopping of citizenship distribution as preconditions for it,” Baidya said.

In reply, Baidya added the government had called them to come to talks unconditional which was rejected his party.

Opining that the four major political parties have made Khilaraj Regmi work for them, Baidya said that Regmi-government cannot hold CA elections and even if it does, the constitution cannot be drafted.

“Even if they hold the CA elections by using security forces, they cannot draft the constitution,” Baidya said ruling out possibility of participating in the CA elections unless his party’s demands are attended.

Speaking on the same occasion, Dhamala urged political parties to create a conducive environment for holding CA elections and drafting constitution. He said that the Reporters Club Nepal is committed to advocate for democracy and the present initiative was a part of it while handing over a memorandum to Baidya.