Posted by: gaunlebhai February 6, 2008
Shame on You Prachanda and Maoist Party
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Nepal Maoists activate 'parallel government'
6 Feb 2008, 1712 hrs IST,PTI
 
KATHMANDU: The Maoists in Nepal have "activated" their feared United Revolutionary Peoples Council that acted like a 'parallel government' and operated kangaroo courts in the areas controlled by the former rebels during the decade-long insurgency in the Himalayan state.

"Since the local bodies have still not been re-constituted according to the agreement among the seven political parties, the people's government has been activated to resolve the problems faced by the people in the district and local level and extend help in development related works," said top Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai, the convener of the United Revolutionary Peoples Council (URPC).

Maoist Communication Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Local Development Minister Dev Gurung have been appointed as joint-coordinators of the council, a statement by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) said.

The Maoist 'people's government', which was functional in villages and district level and operated as 'parallel government' undermining the state authority during the conflict, had been dissolved following the inking of the landmark Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the mainstream political parties and the Maoists in November 2006.

The meeting of the URPC of the CPN-Maoist, which was presided over by chairman Prachanda on Tuesday, also decided to start "model joint development projects" in 11 'autonomous state committees and two sub-committees'.

Though the former rebels have promised that the URPC will not be a parallel government, it comes in the backdrop of repeated threats by the Maoists to operationalise their kangaroo courts and local authorities to step up pressure on the interim government to accept their demands.
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