Rewati Sapkota

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Kathmandu, March 12

Following a series of explosions that took place at Ncell towers and other public places across the country, the government has banned the Communist Party of Nepal led by Netra Bikram Chand.

The Cabinet meeting held in Baluwatar late this evening decided to ban the Chand-led CPN and its ‘criminal’ activities, a senior minister told THT after the meeting.

According to him, the government has concluded that the Chand-led group has been engaging in criminal activities by detonating bombs at infrastructure projects and disturbing peace and security.

“Who have they been fighting for? Are they fighting against democratic federal republic or is there any regressive force?” the minister wondered while justifying the move to ban the party.

As the party has been indulging in terrorist activities, there is no way to deal with it politically, the minister added. “The government can’t accept their parallel structures,” he said, adding that the Chand-led party would have to surrender to the government.

During the meeting, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa briefed the Cabinet that the Som Prasad Pandey-led talks team failed to hold dialogue with the CPN.

The party had not responded to the government talks team even after release of its leaders, including Spokesperson Khadga Bahadur Bishwokarma, a minister quoted Thapa as saying.

After imposing ban on CPN, Thapa left for Austria late in the evening to attend the 62nd session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs scheduled to take place in Vienna on March 14, a Cabinet source said.

The government had prohibited the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal through an ordinance during the armed conflict in 2002. Thapa and Chand were CPN-M leaders then.

Senior leaders of the CPN have reportedly gone underground while its cadres have been engaged in violent activities. Chand later joined Mohan Baidhya-led Nepal Communist Party- Maoist (Revolutionary) but later parted ways with Baidhya.

Chairperson of Nepal Communist Party-Maoist Centre Gopal Kirati said the government should withdraw its decision to ban CPN and the Chand-led party should agree to hold talks with the government.

A version of this article appears in print on March 13, 2019 of The Himalayan Times.

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