NCP co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has brought up the issue of a power-sharing agreement between him and Prime Minister Oli. Most national dailies report on the Dahal’s comments. Similarly, the ‘sacrifice’ of toddler to by a shaman in southern Nepal has also received considerable attention. PM KP Sharma Oli’s flight causing delays at the airport has also been featured in some papers.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the front pages of national broadsheets:
Important
Dahal brings up power-sharing issue again
Kantipur, Nagarik, The Kathmandu Post and Republica report that a fresh debate on power-sharing within the ruling Nepal Communist Party has surfaced on social media platforms as a section of leaders within the party circulated a five-point agreement reportedly signed before the merger of the two communist entities to form the NCP a year ago.
In a televised interview broadcast on Wednesday on Prime Television, Dahal brought up the five-point agreement signed between him and Oli a day before the unification of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and the CPN-UML to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). The fourth point of the agreement states that the co-chairs will lead the government for equal periods of time.
Given that the party received a five-year term last elections, government leadership should’ve been divided equally between Oli and Dahal at two-and-a-half years each. Oli has already been in office for 15 months, and if the agreement is abided by, he only has 15 more months to go.
In the interview, Dahal said that nobody would be spared, not even himself, if the agreement is violated. Experts say that Dahal was throwing a warning to Oli and added that there was a certain misunderstanding between them.
Police arrest shaman for sacrificing toddler
Nagarik, Kantipur, Republica, Annapurna Post and The Himalayan Times report that police have arrested a shaman who sacrificed Aryan Sah, a two-and-half-year boy on May 6 in Mithila municipality in Dhanusha.
Shatrughan Mahato, 55, who was learning sorcery, killed Sah and threw his body in the field of Krishna Nandan Mahato, a local, the next morning.
Shatrughan Mahato, has been arrested on the basis of statements taken from 65 locals by Dhanusha Police, Province Police and a police unit sent from Kathmandu. Shatrughan has conceded that he sacrificed the boy to achieve enlightenment.
Chief of Dhanusha Police Shekhar Khanal said Mahato murdered the boy in superstition that he will become powerful after sacrificing the kid.
Police made the shaman public organising a press conference three weeks after the murder.
Mahato had abducted the boy from his home when the kid’s mother Renu Devi had gone to fetch fodder in the evening. Mahato hid the boy inside his house and sacrificed the kid slitting the throat with a sharp weapon in the name of gods and goddesses.
Oli’s flight to India causes delays again
Naya Patrika reports that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s flight to India caused a traffic jam in the air again and multiple flights were asked to run circles around Kathmandu valley. Domestic airlines throughout the day were affected as were many international flights.
Ignored
Govt considering measures to control ‘traffic jam’ on Everest
The Kathmandu Post reports that the government is considering two options to limit the number of “weak climbers” attempting to scale Everest following the deaths of nine mountaineers in the world’s highest peak this climbing season.
Tourism Secretary Mohan Krishna Sapkota said that the government was weighing two choices to ease traffic on the Everest following a wave of global criticism: conducting a medical check-up of the climbers at Everest base camp before allowing them to make the summit push, and making it mandatory for climbers to take an advanced climbing course before joining an Everest expedition.
Bride killed after groom denied motorcycle
Naya Patrika reports that a bride in Mahotari has been killed after her family didn’t offer a motorcycle to the groom as dowry. Baleswar Yadav has been arrested by the police for murdering Bimala Devi Yadav. Baleswar and his father have been arrested by the police while his sisters and mother who the police suspect were accomplices in the murder are on the run.
30 pc did not take Constituent Assembly Medal
Nepal Samacharpatra reports that nearly 300 former MPs did not come to collect their Constituent Assembly Medals handed over by Present Bidya Devi Bhandari on Republic Day. Home Secretary Prem Kumar Rai said that those out of those who didn’t come, most were out of the Valley and a few had passed away. Rai said that the medals and certificates will be sent to the MPs address later.
Interesting
Huawei sales drop in Nepal
Nepal Samacharpatra reports that Huawei smartphone sales in Kathmandu are starting to slow down after reports over Google’s suspension of the Chinese multinational company’s access to the Android updating system last week, according to local smartphone retailers. Google decided to cut off Huawei after the US government added the Shenzhen-based company to a trade blacklist last week. Thus, Nepalis are looking for alternative phone available in the market.
Consultancy fee limited to 5 pc
Annapurna Post reports that the government is planning to limit consultancy fee to 5 per cent. It wants to do this to stop money paid to international consultants going out of Nepal. The cabinet has recently amended the International Foreign Aid policy taking into consideration the amount of money that was going out of the country in the name of consultant fee.
Team formed to discuss Nepal-India rail service
Gorkhapatra reports that Nepal has formed a team under the headship of joint-secretary of the Ministry of Industry Commerce and Supplies Nawaraj Dhakal to look at how Nepal and India could start a rail service. The team will be holding talks with India on June 6 and 7.
Similarly, Karobar reports that Janakpur-Jayanagar rail service is due to start from October. Government has already agreed terms to by rail engine from India. The newly formed Department of Railway informed that the tracks had been laid and that it should come under buy late September or October.
