We want to build a new capitalist and industrial democracy: Prachanda

Chairman of the CPN (Maoist) Prachanda has said that his party wants to over throw the two hundred years old feudal political and economic superstructure and build a capitalistic new democracy with social justice and inclusion.

He was talking to an interaction programme “Economic and Development Policies of NCP(Maoists)” jointly organised by Centre for Professional Journalism Studies and World Bank Public Information Centre on Friday here in Kathmandu.

For the first time interacting with Nepal’s donor community, chief of the Maoist party said that ten year’s long people’s war has awakened and enlightened the rural and down-trodden mass which was the one of the objective of his party.

Talking to the same programme, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, second-in-command of the CPM (Maoist) said that his party intends to restructure the property relation in agriculture and wants to abolish absentee landlordism. “The root cause of Nepal’s poverty is that two third of the population are dependent on agriculture who don’t have enough land of sustain themselves”- Dr Bhattarai said.

He further opined that if industrialisation can be done rural and poor peasants’ livelihood can be uplifted thus by creating new jobs in non-agriculture sector. “If we don’t revolutionise the agriculture sector, we can’t eradicate poverty”- he said.

Disclosing his party’s priorities on key economic agenda, Dr Bhattarai said that his party has plans for massive industrialisation which would enforce huge productive labour force to industrial sector in absence of which development can’t take place.

In addition, he said that Nepal needs to import capital and technology from outer world and it can’t remain aloof with the rest of the world. “The world is one fraternity and our party thinks that relying on national interest, we have to invite foreign direct investment and take the help with international donor community”- Maoists second in command said.

Similarly, Dr Bhattarai elaborated that if his party comes to the power they will develop hydropower power projects which could be a tool to accelerate Nepal’s development. He said that Nepal has huge potential of hydro power resources which can be tapped in the national interest.

He also said that we have comparative advantage in tourism sector and if the tourists from China and India, two fastest growing economies of the world, can be attracted, Nepal can generate huge resources and generate employment.

Lambasting the ‘old system’ for underdevelopment, he said that despite last fifty year’s international development assistance, Nepal has turned a debt-ridden country and every Nepali citizen owes Rs 13,000 debt in his head.

He also tried to console the international community by stating that his party wants to develop new Nepal and thus need the help of foreign friends. “We want to correct the lapses of last two hundred years so there is no need to be frightened with the Maoist coming to power.

Furthermore, he said that his party is fully abide by the basic operating guidelines and co-operate with the development partners.