Bhattarai waves to his supporters at the launch of his new party in Kathmandu on Sunday. Photo: Gopen RaiEx-Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai announced his new political party – Naya Shakti Nepal -- in Kathmandu on Sunday.
Bhattarai, also a former Prime Minister, quit the Maoists – a party that he formed two decades ago and nurtured alongside Pushpa Kamal Dahal – last year, just after the promulgation of the new constitution. Known as a Maoist ideologue during the war, Bhattarai now claims he is no longer a communist, and that his party's top agenda is to transform the country's economy.
After the announcement, Bhattarai administered the oath to all the party leaders and members in Dasarath Stadium, which was filled with thousands of supporters. He said he formed this party to turn Nepal into a developed country.
Bhattarai is often credited for persuading the Maoist Chair Dahal to end the war, join hands with parliamentary parties against the monarchy and participate in multiparty democracy. He won more popularity as a Finance Minister in the first Maoist government.
But as Prime Minister, Bhattarai failed to live up to the Nepali people's aspirations. His premiership was marred by controversy over his government's recommendation that a presidential pardon be granted to Maoist leader Balkrishna Dhungel, who had been accused of murder.
According to Bhattarai, his new party will maintain financial transparency, but it has already been criticised for printing full cover-page advertisements on all the broadsheet dailies on Sunday without revealing the source of income for the blitz on publicity.