Lawmakers condemn govt for security lapses

Kathmandu, May 27

Lawmakers of the main opposition Nepali Congress and Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal today came down heavily on the government for failing to maintain peace and security in the country.

Speaking at the Parliament a day after bombs went off in Kathmandu, killing at least four, lawmakers said action should be taken against those who were planting bombs, killing people and spreading terror in the country. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, Nepal Police suspects the hand of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal in the blasts.

“Bombs are going off in Kathmandu valley and the government has not been able to stop these incidents,” NC Whip Pushpa Bhusal told the House of Representatives.

Bhusal asked the government to set its ego aside and hold dialogue with the Chand-led outfit. “The outfit should also stop resorting to criminal activities,” Bhusal said.

The Chand-led outfit had planted a bomb in front of Ncell’s headquarters in Nakhu in February, killing one, and attacked base transceiver stations of the private telecom company at multiple places. The government has since banned the outfit.

“They have been involved in illegal activities for some years,” Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa told the House of Representatives and National Assembly today, adding, “They have now formed people’s government called ‘Jana Parishad’. It also has its own army, divided into four companies. Its army is now targeting Kathmandu valley.”

Thapa said despite that the government was “open to dialogue” with the outfit.

Thapa said those killed and injured in yesterday’s blasts “were not citizens but criminals”, sparking more criticism.

“It is objectionable to say that those killed and injured in yesterday’s blasts were not Nepali citizens,” said NC’s Bhusal.

Former minister Devendra Raj Kandel, who is also an NC lawmaker, corrected the home minister and said those killed were Nepali citizens.

Thapa later said he meant that those killed and injured in yesterday’s blasts were involved in criminal activities and were not behaving as normal citizens.

The Chand-led outfit, which is trying to disrupt peace in the country, is a splinter faction of the Maoist party which waged a decade-long insurgency in Nepal. The Maoist party has since merged with the CPN-UML to form the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

“Home Minister Thapa knows Chand because they were together during the decade-long insurgency,” said Kandel.

“The minister probably knows a lot of things about the outfit as well.” Another NC lawmaker Badri Pandey made similar comments.

The government should make its position on the Chand-led outfit clear, RJP-N lawmaker Laxman Lal Karna said.

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