Royal palace gave 600 mln to slay leaders: Maoists

Kathmandu, Mar 13: A senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has alleged that the Royal Palace has set out a sum of Rs 600 million to assassinate pro-republican leaders.

Krishna Bahadur Mahara, spokesman for the Maoists, said the palace had hired a gang to execute the killings of the leaders.

Last week, Maoist Chairman Prachand had alleged that the palace hatched a plot to murder a US official in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu and put the blame on the Maoists.

Meanwhile, Maoist lawmaker Janardan Sharma submitted a CD to Speaker Subhash Chandra Nemwang documenting evidence of efforts to slander the Maoists.

Crown Prince Paras has distributed copies of the CD to various army barracks in the country, Mahara said.

''The Nepal Army was used against the Maoists. We are deeply concerned over the activities of the palace,''he said.

UNI