CPN (Maoist) leader: Puts down the gun and takes power

Originally published in 2008/05/27

China Daily Website Global Online News: After winning the Nepal Constituent Assembly election, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Prachanda has been even busier. When reporters met him last year, he was still living in a motel in the capital Kathmandu, but has now moved into a rented residence. Our interview had only been going on for 10 minutes when the assistant came in and said that the UNDP official was waiting in another room. Prachanda hesitated, then asked the reporter apologetically, "Can you come back at 6:30 am tomorrow morning?"

Interview at 6:30 AM

Early the next morning, the reporter arrived at Prachanda's residence on time, and was surprised to find that his reception room was already crowded with Nepali people, and Prachanda was cordially talking with them. After finally seeing off the last guest, Prachanda hurriedly asked the reporter to sit down: "These are the folks from the tenth constituency of Kathmandu, I want to meet these ordinary people and le…