Bhattarai quits Maoist party

Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai, one of the key architects of Nepal's civil war that killed 17,000 people, has quit the party.

At a press conference in Kathmandu on Saturday, Bhattarai informed journalists that he had submitted his resignation to the UCPN (M) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal. He also said that he had resigned as a member of the Parliament.

"I am now just an independent citizen," he said. "I do not have a clear plan about what to do, but I will move forward by joining hands with like-minded friends who were previously in the party."

Bhattarai, who led the second Maoist government between 2011 and 2013 as Prime Minister, was Vice Chair of the party.

Bhattarai was also President of a key panel of the now-dissolved Constituent Assembly (CA) that was formed to hold dialogues with political parties and forge consensus on the contentious issues of the constitution.

But Bhattarai was clearly not happy with the new constitution. He skipped the grand ceremony held by the government to celebrate the new constitution. He spoke in favour of the disgruntled Madhesi parties.

As India merely 'noted' the new constitution and subsequently issued a veiled threat to impose blockade against Nepal, Bhattarai went a step further and vowed to join the protests spearheaded by the Madhesi parties.

But not many had anticipated that Bhattarai would announce his resignation in such an abrupt manner. He had differences with Dahal, and he had been talking about the need for a new political force but was not expected to desert the party that he formed and nurtured alongside Dahal.

In a recent interview with BBC Nepali Service, Dahal had dismissed his 'new political force' as 'an old story'. He had said: "If Bhattarai quits the party, neither he nor the country will benefit from his action."

But Bhattarai surprised many by announcing his resignation at a hastily called press conference. Asked if he will rejoin the party in future, he said: "It's pointless to return to a ruined house or the party that you quit."

There are speculations that Bhattarai might have resigned after receiving 'signals' from New Delhi, which is upset with Kathmandu and is imposing an unofficial blockade against Nepal. Dahal has time and again labeled Bhattarai as 'an Indian stooge'.