Palpa ? Maoist cadres waved black flags at State Minister for Energy Chandra Singh Bhattarai in Tansen on Thursday. They broke through tight security and waved the flags in his face.

The cadres then covered the state minister's car in black cloth and pelted stones at it, but the minister wasn't hurt. "I don't care that they waved flags at me. Actually, I'm happy, since it's a step down from killing people," he said. "Yesterday they shot people, today they only stone them. It's only a matter of time before they stop that too."

Bhattarai, who stopped by Tansen on his way to the Kali Gandaki Hydroelectricty Project, said it isn't possible to immediately end loadshedding. He added that the political deadlock has persisted because the speaker hasn't had the courage to force an agreement.