KATHMANDU: The Nepal band called by the 33 dissident political parties led by the CPN Maoist started bomb blasts, clashes with police and torching of vehicles across the nation on Sunday morning.

Cadres affiliated to member parties of the alliance took to roads to block the roads, vandalized vehicles and explosives were recovered from various places. The alliance had called today’s general strike to foil the upcoming Constituent Assembly member elections slated for November 19.

Here are the udpates from across the nation.

Bhaktapur– A public passenger bus ( Na 3 Kha 3711) vandalized and torched.

Pokhara: A taxi and motorcyle vandalized at Zero Kilometer.

Kavre: A bus ferrying passenger attacked with a petrol bomb. No human casualites, bus managed to get away.

Dolakha: Two stationary buses parked near district headquarters vandalized and torched.

Dharan: District Administration Office’s vehicle vandalized and torched.

Kathmandu: Nagarik Newspaper’s vehicle (Ba 4 Cha 4872) vandalized near Bhaat Bhateni store in Koteshwor.

Nepali Army has been mobilized in Kathmandu since morning to maintain peace and security.

Bombs reccovered from multiple places.

Kathmandu: Thapathali chowk, New Baneshwor Chowk, Balkhu, Dhapasi (two bombs), KMC-22 ward office,
Lalitpur- Lalitpur-22,
Sirah: Lahan,
Kailali: Geta based food factory
Nuwakot: Ratamate and UCPN Maoist’s district office.
Rasuwa: At Dhunche.
Mahottari: Laxminiya-3 based sub-health post’s premise.
Chitwan: Two bombs blast

Police continues to detain band enforcers:

18 detained in Kathmandu
14 detained in Lalitpur

Police recovers petrol bombs and khukuris from them.

Police forces public transport buses to ply on the street despite protests from owners.

FNCCI has also urged entrepreneurs to defy the call for band.

Though the 33 party alliance had called for ten day general shutdown initially, an emergency meeting of the alliance on Sunday had limited shutdown only to Monday and has announced to halt transportation from tomorrow onwards till November 20.

Though they have said press, human rights, and other emergency vehicles will be allowed to ply on the street, the alliance has denied permission to tourist vehicles for plying on the roads.

KATHMANDU: A day after Nepal government announced its “Maoist-proof” plan for holding Constituent Assembly member elections, bombs placed by the CPN-Maoist and clashes between political parties, stole away citizens’ peace.

A bomb was detonated at a CA election regional mass meeting of Nepali Congress in Hatiya of Makwanpur-1.

Of the two bombs placed at the the venue, one was disposed by the Nepal Army’s bomb squad. No casualities have been reported.

A bomb was found placed at Farseni along the Gorahi-Tulsipur highway section on Sunday morning. A Nepal Army bomb squad from the 19th Brigade had disposed the bomb.

Along with the bomb, transportation to and from the district had come to halt due to the band enforced by the CPN-Maoist’s district chapter.

Similarly, morning hours in Champapur and Shivapur highway towns of Nawalparasi district remained tense after bombs were found and disposed by the Nepal Army bomb disposal squad.

Though officially no-one has claimed responsibility of planting the bombs, the bombs were found in areas where UCPN Maoist leaders were to pass-by for attending electoral campaigns.

Along with the bomb and band terror of the CPN-Maoist, that were more or less anticipated, locals in some places across the nation had a tough Sunday morning following clashes between CA election contending parties.

CPN UML and UCPN Maoist cadres clashed in Sindhuli-1 constituency while both were participating electoral campaigns.

The clashes were dispersed through police intervention. 5 people are reported to have been injured in the incident.

In Jaljala of Sankhuasabha-1, UCPN Maoist’s CA election candidate Rajendra Kiranti was assaulted by unidentified armed personals. The police recovered an SLR Rifle, 11 bullets and materials for preparing bomb from the area in follow up search.

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s ruling and opposition parties continued debating the leadership of the national consensus government without making headway in that direction.

The status quo remained in place after UCPN Maoist, on Sunday decided to transform the incumbent Baburam Bhattarai led government into national consensus one.

Leading opposition parties, Nepali Congress and CPN Maoist, on the other hand also maintained that they would not participate in any government that is led by the leader of any of the ruling parties.

A meeting of the UCPN Maoist office bearers at party Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal’s residence on Sunday morning decided that the party leadership should strive to garner consensus in transforming the present government into a national consensus one.

Spokesperson of the party Agni Prasad Sapkota said that the party has decided to float the proposal officially to other parties in the discussions yet to come.

The party reached such a conclusion after weighing the pros and cons of forming the national consensus government in its own leadership and in others leadership.

However, Congress and the opposition Maoist party have declined to participate in the present government or in any government led by leaders from the incumbent ruling parties.

A meeting held between senior leaders of both parties at NC President Sushil Koirala on Sunday took such a decision after concluding that the incumbent government is the root of the ongoing status quo.

Along with rejecting PM Bhattarai’s leadership, both parties have also trashed UCPN Maoist’s earlier proposal to form consenus government in the leadership of DPM Narayan Kaji Shrestha or DPM Bijay Kumar Gachhadar.

CPN Maoist Vice Chairman C P Gajurel said that they have decided to topple the Bhattarai led government at any cost and claimed that the opposition parties will launch stern agitation and use every available resources to do so. (www.nepalireporter.com)

Nepal’s  President’s recent call to form national consensus government within seven days have pushed Nepal’s led politician into the race. This has also intensified exchanges between leaders and New Delhi.

Prachanda from the ruling Maoist, Sushil Koirala and Ram Chandra Paudel from Nepali Congress, K P Oli from CPN UML, Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ from CPN Maoist, and Bijay Kumar Gachhadar from the ruling Madheshi Morcha have escalated inter and intra party lobbying for the post.

Though UCPN Maoist has officially slammed the President’s call to form consensus government, Party chairman Prachanda seems to be interested in the run. He has lauded the President’s call and along with that his close aide in the party Krishna Mahara has publicly lauded the call.

Though the official rejection of the decision by the Maoist remains an enigma, sources in the know how have claimed that the President has advised Prachando to engage in lobbying to support his candidacy for leading the consensus government. And the source claim that it was the reason for which Prachanda appreciated the President’s call and it was the same reason for which his deputy and incumbent Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai forced the party leadership to officially protest the President’s decision.

Sources well aware of the diplomatic exchanges, claim that Prachanda has even been in discussion with the Indian establishment to support his PM candidacy.

Sensing trouble from Prachanda’s softer stance with the President, Bhattarai faction within the party have warned to launch stern agitation within and outside the party for remaining in power. Bhattarai’s close aide Devendra Paudel even termed the President’s call as an attempt to impose coup.

In Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba has already publicly announced his withdrawal from the race and it has left Koirala and Paudel in the race. Paudel is loud and clear on his candidacy for the post which he claims is legitimate as he has been the parliamentary party leader of his party in the erstwhile legislative parliament and as he had fought Bhattarai in the earlier race for the same post.

However, Koirala’s recent desire to head the government which is now intensely fueled by his aides, seems to officially endorse Koirala for the post. The upcoming NC’s central committee meeting might endorse Koirala’s candidacy for the post as Deuba has already exited the queue and Paudel does not have sufficient majority in the committee to back him. This might leave Paudel high and dry once again.

Though UML Chairman Jhalnath Khanal has publicly requested Koirala for heading the consensus government, his deputy K P Oli has been exercising muscles for the post. While receiving treatment in New Delhi recently, Oli had also lobbied for this opportunity with the Indian establishment. However as the party is yet to take official decision on the issue, Oli’s chances are yet slim if he fails to win his Chairman’s support for the bid.

And along with these big wigs, the CPN Maoist has also joined the race with the motto of new and revolutionary leadership. They have forwarded party general secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa as their candidate for the race. Party secretary Dev Gurung has publicly announced the party’s bid while eulogizing Thapa’s capacity for the leadership.

In the madhesh based party camp, with Mahant Thakur denying the post, Gachhadar has brushed up his collar for the post. Though Prachanda himself had proposed Thakur to join the race, the latter had denied it. This had left the ground solely to Gachhadar. Gachhadar has already forwarded his candidacy to the President and sources claimed that he has intensified lobbying with the Indian establishment too.

Another of the candidate that has not shown willingness for the limelight is Surya Bahadur Thapa. Though India has soft side for Thapa, Thapa himself has not shown any signs of joining the race. So his candidacy still remains in the grey region. Lets see if he gives any color to it in the remaining days. After all, anything can happen in Nepal’s troubled political sphere.

Whoever might succced in this race, one thing is sure, Bhattarai’s day at Baluwatar seem to be ending. This has become more sure now as the Indian establishment has shown willingness to end status quo in Nepal by removing Bhattarai and installing a new government. However, sources claim that though Indian establishment is against Bhattarai, its intelligence (RAW) has shown unwillingness to remove Bhattarai. This condition might also change in the days ahead as RAW has also recently got a new leader and this indicates a new stance on Bhattarai government too.

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s former monarch, Gyanendra Shah, has been forced to cancel his nation visit due to protest programs of the opposition parties aimed at toppling Bhattarai government.

The former monarch was scheduled to make pilgrimages to five districts of the central region of the country.

During his recent pilgrimage to the mid-western region of the country, Gyanendra had publicly commented on the ongoing political crisis and warned political parties of future crisis.

However, the protest programs organized by 15 political parties has forced Gyanendra to skip the tour and subsequently focus on his wife’s health.

Nepali newspaper Nepal Samacharpatra while confirming the report stated that Gyanendra is scheduled to head for Singapore for his wife-Komal’s- health checkup.

Sources near Gyanendra claimed that the visit was cancelled predicting intense political clashes in the near future.

Besides the cancelled central region visit, Gyanendra favorites have organized his visit to eastern region of the country later this year.

KATHMANDU: Indian hydropower construction company GMR has more troubles ahead as Nepal’s hardliner Maoist- CPN Maoist- has decided to form a security force to evict the company from Nepal.

GMR has been involved in the construction of Upper Karnali Hydropower Project situated in the hills of mid-Western Nepal and has been facing obstruction from the party cadres for a long time now. However, so far the friction was kept in the soft side. But this decision has made public the party’s official stance on Indian companies.

CPN Maoist’s recent Bheri-Karnali State Committee took the decision, officially endorsing the decision to banish GMR from the project, Nepal’s national daily newspaper Nagarik reported in its Thursday edition.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Secretary of the State Committee Bharat Bam was quoted as stating that the “decision was taken as part of the party’s ideology and work plan to remove foreign interventions from projects of national importance”.

” If GMR starts to work under present conditions, than we have decided to even launch underground protest and activities against the project,” Bam said, adding “we wont accept any projects that are against national interest and sovereignty.”

On the occasion, Bam informed that the party’s volunteer bureau was presently observing the activities of GMR and other foreign companies related to sensitive and nationally important projects.

Responding to question on the necessity to form an security force, Bam said that the such a security force is going to be formed for dealing with locals who are in support of the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project and GMR company.

Five months earlier, some locals had clashed with CPN Maoist cadres and evicted them from the project site where GMR was holding an public assessment program.