New Site - Political Economy Research

Take a look at a new site called Political Economy Research - it is an anti Revisionist Political Economy site.

It has critical articles on Market Socialism from Thomas Hodgkins in the 19th Century right up to Deng Xiaoping today. Also interesting article from Henry C K Liu defending the Great Leap Forward from Neo-Liberal critics.

There is a link on the right hand side of this page.

Koirala the Eminence Grise against the Maoist Electoral Mandate of the People

Girija Prasad Koirala on public offensive against CPN Maoist Government formation

The Nepal Telegraph Reports

“Why can’t we look for the Maoists’ alternative to lead the next government in Nepal?”

“Can’t we form a broader democratic alliance against the Maoists?”

None less than Nepal’s India “elevated and born” Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala asked the South Block friendly ex-UML General Secretary, Madhav Kumar Nepal on Thursday August 7, 2008.

Octogenarian Koirala who looks “unusually active” upon his return home from the Delhi pilgrimage, on Thursday early morning rushed straight to Balkumari, Kathmandu, to meet the ex-UML GS, Mr. Nepal who had recently gone to New Delhi to pay regards to his Indian political deities.

During the day, a jealous and power hungry Koirala met with the leaders of smaller communist parties and the erstwhile Panchas who have had clandestine links with the Indian establishment.

The Rastriya Janashakti Party president Surya Bahadur Thapa, a trusted Indian partner and the advocator of the “broader democratic alliance” met with Koirala at the Prime Minister’s secretariat in Baluatar.

Mr. Chitra Bahadur K.C- the Jan Morcha President, Nepal Pariwar Dal president Ek Nath Dhakal and Keshav Prasad Mainali-the president of Chure Bhawar Ekta Samaj were also invited by the care taker Prime Minister to hold political discussions.

Baluatar sources have it that Koirala maintained that “even if the Maoists form a government it will not last more than two months”.

Reports say that Koirala urged the leaders of all the parties to form a democratic alliance against the Maoists.

PM Koirala was accompanied by NC leaders, Dr. Ram Saran Mahat and Dr. Shekhar Koirala while meeting the invitees.

Janmorcha President, Mr. KC however, later talking to the reporters maintained that the Maoists as the largest party in the Constituent Assembly holds the exclusive right to lead the next government.

“Prachanda must resign from the post of the commander of the Maoists’ Peoples’ Liberation Army…and the Young Communist League must be dissolved….the Maoists must return the seized properties…” said Keshav Prasad Mainali quoting Prime Minister Koirala.

“If the Maoists do not fulfill the demands we have to look for other alternatives”, said Mainali quoting Koirala further.

“We brought them from the Jungles…now they (the Maoists) have stood against us”, Janmorcha president, Chitra Bahadur KC quoted Koirala as saying.

To add, in the four party meeting held on Thursday, the Nepali Congress has forwarded the claim that the Ministries of Defense and Home Affairs cannot go to the Maoists’ fold.

With the NC forwarding this proposal, the four party meeting ended in a deadlock even on Thursday.

President 'directs' CA secretariat to conduct election of Prime Minister

President 'directs' CA secretariat to conduct election of Prime Minister

President Dr Ram Baran Yadav has directed the general secretary of the Constituent Assembly (CA) to make preparations for election of the Prime Minister as per the Article 38 (2) of the Interim Constitution.

According to state-owned Radio Nepal, Dr Yadav gave the direction, through his secretary, to CA general secretary Manohar Prasad Bhattarai. It was an informal instruction as the President's office had been closed by the time the CPN (Maoist) leadership informed him about the failure to form the national unity government within the deadline, Bhattarai said.

Maoist chairman Prachanda' had telephoned President Yadav, immediately after the talks between four major parties ended inconclusively last evening, informing that his party had failed to form national unity government.

President Yadav's letter to the CA secretariat instructing it to conduct election of the Prime Minister is expected to come on Sunday, Radio Nepal quoted the CA general secretary as saying.

Prachanda says Maoist Government to be formed in a week

A day after the four-party talks for a unity government hit a snag, Maoist chairman Prachanda' has claimed there will be a government under Maoist leadership within a week.

Speaking at a programme in Kathmandu Saturday, Prachanda said his party would work towards forming the government within a week even as the talks between the big parties for a consensus government had failed.

He didn't, however, explain if this party had enough support from parties - minus Nepali Congress that refused, during yesterday's talks, to give up claim for defense portfolio - for a majority government.

The Maoist chief also claimed conspiracies were being hatched to bar the Maoists from leading the next government.

He said development programmes, socio-economic transformation, and bringing the peace process to a logical conclusion would be the main focus of the future Maoist-led government.

Meanwhile, with the Maoists failing to form a consensus government within the additional three-day deadline, President Dr Ram Baran Yadav is set to ask the Constituent Assembly to elect the Prime Minister.

Reports said the President is expected to make a written call to the CA on Sunday.

Sixteen parties represented in the constituent assembly unanimously endorsed that the new government must be under the Maoist

At a time when Nepali Congress leaders, including Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, are favouring formation of new government excluding the Maoists, smaller parties have voiced against stopping Maoists from leading the next government.

The meeting of the sixteen fringe parties represented in the constituent assembly held Friday in Kathmandu unanimously endorsed that the new government must be under the leadership of the Maoists, which emerged as the biggest party after the polls.

General Secretary of CPN (ML) Chandra Prakash Mainali told reporters after the meeting that they support a Maoist-led government since the people's mandate is so.

However, the fringe parties also stressed on the need of consensus government since sidelining one party would put obstacle in the constitution making process.

The parties have also advised the big four to take a few more days to find points of consensus for government formation and urged the leaders of the leading parties to play a fair game in favour of national interest at this critical hour.

The parties resolved that they would vote for Maoists if the House is divided over election of prime minister.

Prachanda "The parties will continue efforts to forge understanding. "The talks are moving ahead. It will be held again on Saturday,"

The talks among the top leaders of four big parties broke down, Friday evening, after they failed to reach an understanding to form the new government even as the extended deadline provided by the president to Maoists to forge such agreement expired

The top leaders of four big parties – Nepali Congress (NC), Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), Maoists and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) – had resumed their talks late in the afternoon at Ministry of Peace but they could not reach to any agreement.

According to Maoist chairman Prachanda', the parties will continue efforts to forge understanding. "The talks are moving ahead. It will be held again on Saturday,"
Prachanda said.

However, MJF coordinator Upendra Yadav told reporters that the issue of leadership of the government could now be decided by the Constituent Assembly (CA). Earlier, the president was also elected through the CA.

"The talks could not succeed within the time prescribed by the president because of the three bigger parties. They have not yet finalised Common Minimum Programme (CMP), code of conduct or even who should lead the government," Yadav claimed.

The UML general secretary Jhal Nath Khanal said the parties will continue efforts to find understanding. "Such efforts can also be made from within CA," he said.

NC vice president Ram Chandra Poudel also sounded optimistic. "We could not reach to understanding due to lack of time. We are discussing on three fronts – creation of environment of trust, finalisation of CMP and division of portfolio," he said.

With the failure of the talks on Friday, the efforts to form a government of national consensus – as urged by the president – have also broken down.

Analysts expect the president to make another call to the parties to show the majority in the CA and form the government.