Baidya-HLPC talks founder yet again

KATHMANDU, Aug 24: Even as both sides had agreed in principle earlier to hold a roundtable conference to forge a ´broader national consensus´, talks between the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) and the agitating alliance led by the CPN-Maoist on Saturday foundered, with dissenting parties sticking to their demand that all contentious issues including the poll date be resolved through the proposed roundtable.



The talks failed to make any headway as the major parties represented in the HLPC refused outright the proposal of the Mohan Baidya-led alliance that an ´all-powerful roundtable conference´ be allowed to take decisions on the election date, formation of a new government and all contentious issues of the new statute, among other things. The demand of the adamant Baidya-led alliance has made the parties represented in the HLPC doubt whether the agitating parties were committed to the fresh CA polls scheduled for November 19. [break]



CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, who was visibly angry as he emerged from the talks venue, ruled out the possibility of holding a roundtable as demanded until the agitating alliance agreed to participate in the November polls under the current Regmi-led government.



"The proposal put forth by the 33-party alliance is against the desire of the Nepali people. It is also against the need of the nation. We cannot accept their proposal," he said in brief remarks to media.



Parties in the HLPC have alleged that the Baidya-led alliance put forth such demands in contravention of the previous informal understanding to go to elections on the stated date under the Regmi-led government, apparently to foil the November polls. "We agreed to go for a roundtable conference on condition that the alliance would come to the poll on the stipulated date under the Regmi-led government. But they now have put forth different conditions," said NC leader Arjun Narsing KC. They have concluded that there was no point holding a roundtable as such if that was not going to bring the Baidya-led alliance to the November polls.



The major parties in the HLPC, however, have decided to keep the door for talks open should the agitating alliance agree to participate in the November poll under the existing government.



Earlier on Thursday, the major parties in the HLPC and the agitating alliance had agreed to carry out necessary homework in their respective parties on the modalities of the proposed roundtable. As per the previous agreement, the Baidya-led alliance had set forth its position on the roundtable which would be all-powerful and comprise political parties represented in the erstwhile Constituent Assembly and the agitating political parties, as well as various stakeholders such as representatives of women, Dalits and indigenous nationalities as observers.



The alliance proposed that such a roundtable discuss and take necessary decisions on the election date, government formation, the contentious issues of the new statute, the process and modalities of promulgating the new statute and the remaining tasks of the peace process. The agitating alliance also demanded that the other issues among the 18-point demand set out out earlier before the HLPC should also be resolved by the roundtable.



Nepali Congress leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said the kind of demands the Baidya-led alliance has put forth demonstrated that they did not have any intention of participating in the November poll. "They seem to have the intention of forming an all-powerful roundtable conference as an official body to decide all the issues in contention," he said.



Dr Mahat said their talks with the agitating alliance won´t make headway unless they commit themselves to participate in the November poll. "We found that they do not have any intention to participate in the poll whereas we want them to come on board the poll process. The talks [today] could not therefore move ahead," he further said.

According to party leaders in the HLPC, what they found most objectionable was the demand that all contentious issues should be resolved on the basis of consensus among all those at the roundtable.



The Baidya-led alliance, for its part, has accused the HLPC of not being serious over their demands despite a previous agreement to hold a roundtable conference to resolve the issues in contention. "Instead of realizing the need to forge a national consensus, the parties in the HLPC harbor the conceit that whatever decisions they take should be implemented. That is a historic blunder. The Nepali people will eventually decide this, evaluate this," said CPN-Maoist Secretary Dev Gurung.  He said that there was no alternative to launching stringent protests against the decision of the major parties. "We will unveil fresh programs of protest," he added.

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