ONE KILLED, TWO INJURED IN CHITWAN ACCIDENT

ONE KILLED, TWO INJURED IN CHITWAN VEHICLE ACCIDENT
Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: 26 Dec.: One person was killed and two others were injured overnight at Chitwan.
The injured are being treated in Chitwan.
The vehicle was going to the East from the capital.
nnnn
BAIDYA REJECTS OUTRIGHT MAOIST CHIEF PROPOSAL
Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: The intra-party rift within the UCPN (Maoist) seems to have reached a critical stage with the hard-line faction led by Mohan Baidya flatly rejecting party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's formula proposed to patch up the internal differences, Kamal Dev Bhattarai writes n The Kathmandu Post..
A meeting of over 50 Central Committee members from the Baidya faction held in Lalitpur on Sunday urged Baidya not to accept Dahal's offer to settle the differences through general convention and move ahead resolving differences on a majority basis.
The Baidya supporters say if Dahal attempts to move ahead on a majority basis in the CC meet, it might lead the party to a split. They say the deepening crisis could be resolved only if Dahal corrects his mistakes and pledges not to repeat them. "Only some miracles by Dahal himself could save the party from split," warned Maoist leader Haribhakta Kandel, a Baidya supporter, who attended the meeting.
The meeting, which Baidya had called to collect suggestions from partymen to prepare his political document, concluded that Dahal's document is aimed at splitting the party instead of consolidating it as claimed by Dahal. Dahal has proposed laying the groundwork for the general convention, the highest authority in the party.
The Baidya faction argues there is no meaning of holding the convention without "correcting" the party's moves, including the decision on integration and rehabilitation of former combatants.
During the meeting, some CC members suggested the faction protest both in the streets and the parliament if Dahal continues to move ahead against the "party's official line" of revolt.
On Saturday, Dahal had presented a political document that aimed at patching up differences with his deputy Baidya.
Politburo member Dharmendra Bastola said Baidya would present a document that proposes going for a "people's revolt to promulgate a people's constitution".
In his document, Dahal prioritised peace and constitution, stating that the party's attempts in the past to capture the state powers failed. The hardliner blamed that Dahal abandoned the line of revolt adopted by the party's sixth plenum last year.
According to leaders, they will demand resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai at the earliest and initiate the process to form a national consensus government, which contradicts Dahal's line that the present government could be reshuffled to induct some ministers from the Baidya faction. The faction states that if possible such a government should be formed under Dahal's leadership; otherwise, the party should field General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa as the party's candidate for prime ministerial post.
Nnnn

BOTH MAOIST FACTIONS WOO SHRESTHA
Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: The simmering factionalism within the UCPN (Maoist) has pushed the rival factions on the front lines of a fresh tug-of-war over the “moderates” led by Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha. Shrestha, who has command over two dozen central committee members, stands as the lone kingmaker at this time in his party, Kamal Dev Bhattarai writes in The Kathmandu Post..
For the last few weeks, both the factions led by Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya have been reaching out to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shrestha in a bid to bring him into their respective camps.
Shrestha was close to Dahal when he joined the Maoist party in 2009, merging his CPN Masal (Unity Centre). Later, he lost Dahal's trust when he joined the Dhobighat meeting, an anti-Dahal gathering organised by Baidya and incumbent Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. After he assumed the post of Foreign Minister, Sherstha is neither in Dahal's nor in Baidya's camp.
“On the issue of nationalism he is close to us, while he is still saying that there is no alternative to Dahal's leadership in the party,” said pro-Baidya Central Committee member Maheshwor Dahal. Shrestha claims that the party is adopting Dahal's political line.
Last week, for the first time since the Dhobighat meeting, Dahal reached Shrestha's residence to take him into confidence. Party leaders said the meeting was aimed to sabotage Baidya's bid to bring Shrestha into his faction.
Dahal fears that he could become weak in the party's CC meet if Shrestha switches over to the hard-line faction. In the meeting, the party chairman tried to cajole Shrestha into lending support to him, arguing that both stand for the same ideology and that there should be unity between them.
Shrestha has a close connection with hard-line leader and party General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa, who was proposed as the prime ministerial candidate by the Baidya camp recently. Thapa has been meeting Shrestha for the last few weeks and the relationship between the two has been heading to a 'positive' direction.
Dahal fears that Shrestha, whose support is crucial in keeping intact his hold over the party, could switch over to the hard-line camp to back Thapa's prime ministerial bid.
A Dahal confidant blamed that Shrestha leaks important information about Dahal and PM Bhattarai to Thapa. “It was Shrestha who opposed the signing of BIPAA with India during the prime minister's India visit,” he said. “He is an opportunist leader despite his strong ideological standing.”
Central Committee member Kumar Poudel argued that Shrestha is bargaining with Dahal to secure his position in the party. “He is making efforts to regain Dahal's trust, he will not join the Baidya faction,” Poudel said.
However, Shrestha's own position in the party appears weak. Standing Committee members Amek Sherchan and Lilamani Pokhrel have distanced themselves from Shrestha. Sherchan and Pokhrel are also bargaining with Dahal to secure higher posts in the party, while the Baidya faction is also trying to bring those leaders into its fold.
Shrestha's realignment, if any, would be crucial in determining the future course of the party's factional politics given the ongoing Central Committee meeting that has witnessed heated debate between the Dahal and Baidya factions.
nnnn