HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

Time not ripe to flay govt, says Bhattarai

By Our Correspondent

Morang, Jan. 29: Since the Nepali Congress-led government is moving ahead in a smooth and democratic manner, this is not the time to point fingers at it, former Prime Minister and one of the founding leaders of the Nepali Congress Krishna Prasad Bhattarai said today.

"Nobody should raise accusing fingers against Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s government, which is just about four months old; critics must wait at least a year to see how it functions before saying anything about it," Bhattarai told a meeting organised to inaugurate the Martyr Krishna Prasad Koirala Trust building at Siswani Jahada here this afternoon.

Chief Guest Bhattarai said that he was opposed to those who attacked the government. The Central Working Committee of the Party would assess the performance of the government anyway once it completes a year in office, Bhattarai added.

Former Prime Minister Bhattarai, referring to Party President Girija Prasad Koirala who also attended the function, said that he and Koirala would face any eventuality. "Though we both have completed our terms as premiers, we are ready for any task — if need be," Bhattarai said jokingly to the cheer of the audience.

The Nepali Congress has been able to form governments on many occasions only because of its major sacrifices for the democratic movement, but the party has not yet been able to move ahead smoothly due to its inherent shortcomings, Bhattarai opined. "Let’s not allow such shortcomings to repeat now."

Bhattarai reminded about the sacrifices of the Nepali Congress activists in the past, and said this led the party to the present status. "NC has not become such a big political party all of a sudden," he said. "We as a party must move ahead keeping in mind this fact," he said.

Bhattarai instructed party workers to provide services to the people.

Talking about the ongoing internal operations against terrorism, the former Prime Minister maintained that if the Maoist terrorists come to the negotiating table by laying down their arms, the government should consider talks.

"But if they do not surrender their arms and continue to kill civilians, the government should defeat them at any cost," he stressed.

President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, while addressing the function that coincided with Martyr’s Day, said that it would be a tribute to the martyrs in a real sense if we could do something to uplift the socio-economic status of the people.

"Politics without principle and ideology is a social crime," President Koirala maintained. He also said that the tradition of seeking credit for good works and blaming others for bad works would lead the country nowhere.

He also said that the main question before the NC was how to carry the glorious history created by martyr Krishna Prasad Koirala and late B. P. Koirala. "This is inscribed on stone monuments and cannot be washed away."

Former Indian Prime Minister Chandrashekhar said that to consolidate democracy and strengthen the democratic system of governance in the country, the governments should always work for the benefit of the poor.

"If we fail to eradicate poverty and strengthen the rights of the people, the restoration of democracy will have no meaning," the socialist leader said.

Hinting at the second generation leaders within the Nepali Congress Party, former Indian Premier said that the present time was that of the younger generation and that they had to prove themselves by shouldering the responsibility of fighting against poverty and inequality.

Central working committee member of the Nepali Congress Ram Chandra Poudel said, "The time has now come to make evaluations of ourselves as to whether we have been true ‘socialists’."

President of Martyr Krishna Prasad Koirala Trust Shailaja Acharya presented letters of appreciation to NC leaders Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Girija Prasad Koirala and Indian socialist leader Chandrashekhar in recognition of their life-long contributions to the institutionalisation of democracy.

NC leader Bhattarai unveiled the statue of martyr Krishna Prasad Koirala built at the premises of the Trust located at Siswani Jahada-3, Morang.

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