Nepal Maoist chief to shun luxuries, promises reforms

Nepal’s Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has agreed to shun personal luxuries and initiate long awaited reforms in the ruling party. Utpal Parashar reports.

Updated on: Jul 23, 2012, 24:55:22 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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Nepal’s Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has agreed to shun personal luxuries and initiate long awaited reforms in the ruling party. Faced with strong criticism from fellow comrades, Chairman of Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) made the announcement on Saturday during closing session of the party’s plenum.

Prachanda will be vacating his palatial residence at Lazimpat in the centre of Kathmandu to which he had moved in this January amid doubts on its acquisition.

He will also give up the Toyota Prado at his disposal to the government and use facilities like residence and vehicle provided to former prime ministers as per a recent government decision.

“I am a former prime minister and from now will use facilities provided by the government,” Dahal is stated to have told the gathering amidst cheers from party cadres.

Prachanda announced dissolution of all party committees and promised to hold the next general convention early next year, the first since 1990, to elect a new leadership.

The plenum agreed on forming a financial and accounts panel and handing over of properties belonging to Prachanda and his deputies Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha to the party.

Leaders from the party say the steps will help unite all factions within the party and bring it back on its ideological track.

Interestingly, the announcement came a day after ‘clash’ between factions owing allegiance to Prachanda and prime minister Baburam Bhattarai during the five-day plenum.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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