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Maoists protest Koirala remark, burn effigies

Ameet Dhakal

KATHMANDU: The youth wing of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoists) — Young Communist League (YCL) — on Tuesday burnt effigies of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and took out rallies protesting against Mr. Koirala's comment that the YCL was a criminal outfit.

The activists burnt the effigies in over half a dozen districts and disrupted vehicular movement for hours. The YCL's Kathmandu bureau chief, Sagar, warned of further protests if the Prime Minister did not apologise for his remark.

Minister for Communications and Information, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who leads the Maoist Ministers in the Cabinet, also criticised Mr. Koirala's comment and warned that it could "hamper the eight-party unity".

On Monday, speaking to a delegation of businessmen, Mr. Koirala had dubbed the YCL as "Young Criminal League" and warned that the Government would not tolerate its atrocities. Mr. Koirala was angry over the "abduction" of a businessman, who was on police's wanted list, by the YCL before handing him over to the police.

Defending the YCL's action, Mr. Mahara said, "Sometimes, when the police fail to arrest criminals people have to do it themselves, and that is exactly what the YCL was doing. It didn't commit a crime."

The latest row between the Prime Minister and the Maoists adds to the souring relationship between the two, which can adversely affect the already precarious peace process in Nepal.

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