UCPN (Maoist) has reiterated that it won't allow the caretaker government to present the full-fledged budget in the Legislature-Parliament. A meeting of the Maoist office-bearers held at party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's Nayabajar residence onTuesday concluded that the caretaker government "does not have the authority to introduce the budget".

Speaking to media persons after the meeting, Maoist Vice Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said only a new government could come up with the budget. His party has restated its stance at a time when economists are warning of a serious economic crisis if the government fails to introduce the budget immediately, as the advance budget only provided until the end of the Nepali month of Asoj (mid-October).

Canada visit
An 11-member delegation of CA members, led by Speaker Subhas Chandra Nembang, left for Canada on Saturday at the invitation of the Canadian Government and the Canadian Bar Association. The objective of the visit is to hold discussions on federalism with the leaders of political parties and federalism experts in Canada. Nembang will also meet his Canadian counterpart and the law minister to discuss bilateral relations.

The Nepali delegation accompanying Nembang includes Secretary-General of the Legislature-Parliament, Manohar Prasad Bhattarai, Nepali Congress CA member Pushpa Bhusal, UCPN(Maoist) CA member Ekraj Bhandari, CPN(UML) CA member Agni Prasad Kharel, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Loktantrik) CA member Ram Janam Chaudhary and officials of the Legislature-Parliament. Speaker Nembang and Secretary-General Bhattarai will fly back on 25 October in time for the 13th round of prime ministerial elections.

UML district leader found dead
A Dhading district leader of the CPN-UML, Shiva Thapa Magar, has been found dead near a forest in the district, three days after his alleged abduction by UCPN(Maoist)'s Young Communist League (YCL) on Wednesday.

Shiva Thapa Magar, 40, a former UML district committee member, was allegedly abducted by a group of YCL men led by Bikram Tamang, in charge of YCL's Dhading district area no.1, while he was returning home after watching a volleyball match.

The CPN-UML district committee has claimed that the YCL cadres subsequently murdered Thapa, and is demanding action against the culprits. UCPN (Maoist)'s Dhading district committee, however, has denied that the party had any hand in the abduction and death of Thapa.