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Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli wanted to complete the merger between CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) before he left for India on April 6 for two main reasons, those close to him say. One, he wanted to negotiate with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in the capacity of perhaps the strongest prime minister in Nepal’s democratic history. He has not forgotten his rather forgettable first state visit to India as prime minister in February 2016, just after the lifting of the nearly five-month-long border blockade. Although the blockade had been lifted, there was still a lot of mistrust between Oli and Modi, so much so that they could not even agree on a final joint statement. Oli feels the rude behavior of the Indian establishment back then primar­ily owed to his weak position in Nepal, as he led a wobbly coalition with the (unreliable) Maoists and the (opportunis­tic) monarchists. India, in other words, could find ways to remove him from office. “It would have been a different story had he gone to India as the undisputed leader of a political party that alone enjoyed a two-third majority in the national legislature,” says a close Oli aide.

Two, Oli wanted to wrap up the formal unification pro­cess with the Maoists before embarking on his second visit to India as he was afraid that his old friends in New Delhi— and despite the blockade still he has legions of them, carefully cultivated over the years—could try to talk him out of the left merger. Many senior government officials and security types in India, and who have at one time or the other worked closely with Oli, still harbor suspicions about the democratic credentials of the Maoists and their leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Pra­chanda’. With the merger locked in, Oli would not be in the awkward position of trying to placate his suspicious Indian friends. In the event, he had to settle for the second-best option: announcement of a date of the merger. Barring a list-minute hiccup, the formal merger will be announced on April 22, the birthday of Vladimir Lenin and the day the Communist Party of Nepal was born in 1949. Among the merger issues that are yet to be resolved: whether to incor­porate ‘people’s war’ in the new party statute, distribution of portfolios at district and provincial levels and the division of seats between the two merging parties in the 299-member central committee.

“Yes, there are a few differences between us. But rest assured a formal merger will be announced on April 22,” says senior UML leader Rajan Bhattarai. “Remaining differences can be settled even after the merger.”

With the left unity now all but guaranteed, PM Oli will feel he can negotiate from a position of strength during his India trip—and the subsequent one to China.

Janakpurdham: Chief Minis­ter of Province 2 Lalbabu Raut on March 27 unveiled his gov­ernment’s 100-day action plan which aims to lead the prov­ince to prosperity. An invest­ment-friendly climate, inves­tor-friendly laws and policies, a province-level investment board, and development of spe­cial economic zones are some of the priorities of the action plan. Likewise, the document states that the province will be developed into a green zone through the promotion of organic farming and fishery. Among other priorities spelled out are cold storage facilities for agriculture products, mod­ernization of agriculture and guaranteed irrigation. RSS

DARCHULA: A 15-member team of the Armed Police Force has been dispatched from the APF border security battalion in Darchula to secure the north­ern border with China, after it was reported that the Indi­an side had unilaterally con­structed four bridges over the Mahakali river. The APF team aims to secure the area in the wake of the construction of the new bridges, head of the battal­ion Ambika Prasad Joshi said. The team led by sub-inspector Rajendra Chand will take stock of the situation and also check any illegal activities including smuggling, Joshi added. RSS

KATHMANDU: Nepal lost its final match in the AFC Asian cup 2019 qualifying stage, going down to Yemen 2-1. In the match held on March 26 at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Nepal lost after conceding a penalty in the 84th minute. Until then the score was tied at 1-1. Nepal finished fourth in the group that also involved Yemen, Philippines and Tajikistan. Group leaders Philippines and Yemen qual­ified for the 2019 Asian Cup. RSS