Kathmandu: Bowing to the opposition's
demands, Nepal's Premier Baburam Bhattarai on Thurday announced
scrapping of the Cabinet decision to legalise the war-time
transactions of property and land deals, a move that ended the
over week-long deadlock in Parliament.
Addressing the 601-member Constituent Assembly,
Bhattarai said the UCPN-Maoist government had decided not to
implement the decision made by the Cabinet two weeks ago to
legalise the land and property dealings carried out during the
insurgency period by the so-called "Peoples Government" of the
former rebels.
The decision was taken earlier in the day during a
Cabinet meeting headed by Bhattarai, amid demands by the main
opposition parties Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML that the
move legalising the war-time property deals be annulled.
The Maoists' "Peoples Government" had acquired thousands
of papers regarding purchase, sale and distribution of land
and property during the conflict period, mostly by using
force.
During the crucial meeting of the three major political
parties -- UCPN-Maoist, NC and CPN-UML -- yesterday,
Bhattarai had assured that the Cabinet decision regarding the
war-time property deals would not be implemented.
Bhattarai said that the government would make some
arrangements for land reforms that would benefit the poor and
deprived classes of the society.
Meanwhile, Mohan Vaidya 'Kiran', the top radical leader
of the UCPN-Maoist, today demanded resignation of the Prime
Minister during a high-level meeting of the party.
Vaidya accused Bhattarai of surrendering to the landlords
and feudals by revoking the Cabinet decision to legalise the
war-time property deals.
Bhattarai clarified that the government decided not to
implement the measure on the property deals as the Supreme
Court had issued an order asking it to halt the move and the
main opposition had been obstructing the Parliament demanding
its withdrawal.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 09, 2012, 23:08