Under pressure from opposition, Nepal’s Maoist-led government Thursday revoked its decision to legalize land deals made by Maoists during the civil war.
Following a deal among Maoists and opposition Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) on Wednesday,
the cabinet decided to roll back its earlier move.
The two parties had stalled functioning of the parliament since last month in protest against the legalization move and the peace and constitution drafting processes had also got affected.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai told parliament he was compelled to withdraw the decision made by the land reforms ministry due to protest by the opposition.
Acting on a PIL, the Supreme Court had earlier stayed the government move last month.
During the 10-year-long civil war, Maoist ‘peoples’ government’ had made hundreds of unlawful land transactions and the Bhattarai government had attempted to make them legal.
As soon as cabinet revoked the move, the Maoist standing committee met at party chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s residence and the hardliner faction sought Bhattarai’s resignation.
“Since the cabinet decision amounts to surrender of the party’s ideals to feudalism, we demand the PM’s resignation,” said CP Gajurel, a leader belonging to the Mohan Baidya-led faction.