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EC asks RPP to remove ‘Hindu state and Monarchy’ from party statute

Kathmandu-

Election Commission(EC) has dispatched a letter to Rastriya Prajatantra Party(RPP) requesting the latter to remove words like ‘Hindu State and Monarchy’ from the party’s statute. The EC has said that these words go against the constitution adopted in 2015.

 Party leaders have objected to the EC letter stating that they cannot remove their core values like Monarchy and Hindu state. The key political agendas of the party are the revival of a Monarchy with a Hindu state. Party chair Rajendra Lingden has not provided any public reactions concerning EC’s letter.

EC asks RPP to remove ‘Hindu state and Monarchy’ from party statute

Kathmandu-

Election Commission(EC) has dispatched a letter to Rastriya Prajatantra Party(RPP) requesting the latter to remove words like ‘Hindu State and Monarchy’ from the party’s statute. The EC has said that these words go against the constitution adopted in 2015.

 Party leaders have objected to the EC letter stating that they cannot remove their core values like Monarchy and Hindu state. The key political agendas of the party are the revival of a Monarchy with a Hindu state. Party chair Rajendra Lingden has not provided any public reactions concerning EC’s letter.

China has provided two million syringes under a grant which have been delivered on January 22. The assistances come at a time when there are reports that scarcity of syringes is hampering the vaccination program.

“China fully empathizes with Nepali people suffering from the recent pandemic. In light of the needs of Nepal, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal provided to Nepal two million syringes under the grant, which have been delivered on January 22, said the Chinese Embassy in a press statement.

With a view to helping Nepal in its fight against the pandemic and realizing its economic recovery, China will keep close coordination with Nepal and provide assistance in anti-pandemic supplies within its capacity, the Embassy said.

It has been more than three weeks since CPN (Maoist Center) concluded its 8^th General Convention, re-electing Pushpa Kamal Dahal as party chair for the next five years. The party, however, has not been able to elect the party’s office bears due to the high number of aspirants.  

The convention decided to elect 15 office bearers including a chairman, a senior vice-chairman, six vice-chairmen, a general secretary, two deputy general secretaries, three secretaries and one treasurer.

The party concluded its convention saying that the Central Committee will elect 14 office bearers. But the party has not elected the office bearers yet. 

Dahal had publicly said that the process to elect the office bearers has been delayed as the party’s senior leaders Barsha Man Pun and Onsari Gharti Magar are currently in China.

He along with his spouse Gharti Magar had not attended the party’s convention as well. But this is not the only reason that the party has not elected the office bearers yet. There are multiple aspirants mainly in the post of senior vice-chairman and general secretary which are considered as the vital posts after the chairperson. Leaders who will be elected to the posts will also decide the next party chairman after Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Pun is scheduled to return from China on Monday and the party is likely to expedite the process of electing the office bearers.
Party leaders, however, said it will take some time because of the intense competition among the leaders.

The party has to convene the meeting of the Central Committee to elect the office bearers. But, such meeting is unlikely in the near future due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Though Dahal is likely to take retirement in the near future, party leaders are closely watching a person to replace him.

Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidya served as Dahal's deputies for a long time but after they left the party, there are curiosity on who will replace him in the Maoist party. 

Nepal recorded 10,254 new Covid-19 cases and 16 deaths on Saturday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 20,187 (14,462 RT-PCR and 5,725 antigen) tests were conducted today.

The Ministry said that 708 infected people recovered from the disease.

There are 72,862 active cases across the nation as of today.

It has already been two years that the post of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative has been lying vacant.

In the meantime, political appointments were made to constitutional agencies and many other positions.

But, no one has given attention to fill the vacant post of Deputy Speaker in the Parliament.

There is a provision that the woman should be appointed as the Deputy Speaker as there is already a male speaker.

Lawmakers said that the parties have not given much attention to appoint the Deputy  Speaker may be because the woman should be appointed to the post.

The UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) had divided the post of Speaker and Deputy Speaker after the elections of 2017.

In 2018, CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) were unified, eight months after the two ruling parties made an initial agreement on party unity.

Krishna Bahadur Mahara of CPN (Maoist Centre) and Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe were appointed as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

Later, a staffer of the Parliament accused Mahara of abusing her. Then he resigned from the post.

Many leaders within the party claimed for the post of speaker. But, the party appointed Agni Prasad Sapkota as the speaker.

Tumbahamphe tendered her resignation on January 20, 2020.

Nepali Congress staged protests saying that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker were appointed from the same party. Now, the Nepali Congress is leading the government and it has not given much attention to appoint the Deputy Speaker.

In recent times, the five-party coalition has divided the post of Deputy Speaker among them. The post of Deputy Speaker was given to the Janata Samajbadi Party.

Ruling coalition leaders have said that the government could not appoint the deputy speaker as the main oppostion has been obstructing the Parliament demanding that the Speaker take action against the 14 lawmakers expelled by the party.

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chief Whip Dev Gurung said that the government has not appointed the Deputy speaker yet due to the House obstruction.

Nepal Congress leader Pushpa Bhusal said that the Deputy Speaker should be appointed at the earliest to protect the rights of the women envisioned by the constitution.

The main opposition CPN-UML Chief Whip Bishal Bhattarai said that it was unfortunate the post of Deputy Speaker remained vacant for a long time.

As many as 3,906 cases of cybercrime have been registered in the fiscal year 2020/21, the Cyber Bureau of the Nepal Police said. Of them, 2,003 women and 1,471 men have become the victims. 

There are many children under the age of 18 years  who have also become the victims of cybercrime.

According to the statistics provided by the Cyber Bureau, 1,052 girls and 56 boys became the victims during this period.

Cyber Bureau Chief Nabindra Aryal said that the cases of cybercrime have been increasing drastically of late due to the greed for money.

People have been using the latest technology to commit crimes.

“Many people have been misusing social media, taking it as normal.  The cases have been increasing as the people do not have to meet and talk directly,” he said, adding, “ There was barely a day that they have not received the complaints of cybercrime.”

According to a preliminary investigation, 3,451 people have been found involved in cybercrime through Facebook in the fiscal year 2020/21.

As many 1,547 incidents of cybercrime were reported in the first three months of the current fiscal year 2021/22.

Due to this fact, such incidents are likely to increase in this fiscal year.

In the recent incidents, 49 girls and 25 boys under the age of 18 have become the victims.

Police claimed that the children have been becoming the victims as they have easy access to social media and the internet.

“There are no homes where children do not use the internet,” Cyber Bureau Chief Aryal said. “There are many children who commit the crime unknowingly,” he added.

Mostly people use Facebook, Viber, Imo, Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok and Twitter among others to commit the crime.

Aryal said that the social media used in Nepal is being operated from abroad, it is easy for people living outside the country to commit the crime.

He said that they are coordinating with the International Police Organization (INTERPOL) to arrest the criminals.

“We have resolved almost all the cases of cybercrime,” Aryal said. More than 70 percent of people have access to the internet. Those who use the internet,95 people carry smartphones. The crimes have been increasing due to the misuse of technology.

CPN (Maoist Centre) has formed a task force to give suggestions on the Millennium Challenge Corporation Nepal Compact, an American grant worth $500 million.

Party leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara said that the party decided to form the task force after the issue of MCC was raised in the meeting of the former Standing Committee members held on Saturday.

“We have formed a taskforce to give suggestions on the MCC. We will move ahead as per the suggestions of the taskforce,” he said.

Meanwhile, a meeting held at the party office in Paris Danda on Saturday discussed holding all three tiers of elections in one go, Mahara said.

The meeting has decided to give authority to party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to mobilize the cadres and leaders until the cases of Covid-19 declines.

The meeting has also decided to give the responsibility to Chairman Dahal to complete the organizational works.