CPN-Maoist inaugurated the party office by replacing the old sign board with a new one at around one Saturday afternoon only to be brought down by UCPN (Maoist) cadres two hours later.[break]
“They have no right to claim ownership of the party office,” fumed UCPN-Maoist cadre Pratap Paudel who broke the padlock put by the breakaway comrades at the main gate.
The breakaway party has claimed ownership of the office saying every one of them had contributed to constructing the office.
Surkhet in-charge of CPN-Maoist Mangal BK said the new party should get to use three rooms. “We should get equal share in this house. If they refuse, we will not allow them to stay here as well,” BK said.
He said the new party was forced to unilaterally start using the office after the district leadership of the mother party ignored its pleas to resolve the issue. BK claimed he had contributed Rs 700,000 for construction of the office from the parliamentary development fund when he was member of the Constituent Assembly.
“Then district in charge Krishna Prasad Dhamala and coordinator of the building construction committee Ishwar Bhakta Sunar are both in the new party. How can they deny our ownership of the office now?” he asked.
Dhamala -- who is joint secretary of the Bheri-Karnali State Committee of the CPN-Maoist -- district in charge BK, deputy in charge Balaram Sunar and others were present during the inauguration of the party office Saturday.
CPN-Maoist cadres entered the office from the backdoor after Office Secretary Narendra Karki refused to let them in through the main gate and conducted the program in the meeting hall. There was no resistance from the parent party in the beginning as most of the district level leaders are in Kathmandu for the ongoing plenum. The cadres gathered to remove the new board after Kalyan Area in charge Paudel arrived and the board was dislodged in presence of a large number of combatants from the sixth division.
Deputy in charge of UCPN-Maoist in Surkhet Krishna Bahadur GC accused the new party of acting like thugs. “The discussion on ownership of the building was progressing positively. The problem cannot be solved now as they have shown disrespect to political values,” GC stated.
Chief District Officer (CDO) Purushottam Kunwar, who had coordinated the meetings to end the ownership dispute, hoped that the issue will be resolved soon. “The administration would take necessary steps if security situation of the district is threatened,” said Kunwar.
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