by Kalpit Parajuli

All efforts are being made tonsure elections set for November 22nd. For the moment Maosit leaders promise “peaceful protests”, but already their militias are on the streets and the leaders have not excluded “retaliation”.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) – Yesterday’s meetings between the government and Nepal Communist Party (Maoists) have been deemed “positive”.  September 18th last the Ncp-m withdrew from government in protest at the cabinet’s refusal to declare Nepal a republic ahead of the November ballot as well as it’s refusal to accept proportional representation. Madhav Kumar, Ncp leader reaffirmed that the government is seeking agreement with the Maoists and that all concerned want a Republic but that it will be decided in the first session of the new parliament.

The Maoists ministers (communications, local development, planning and construction, social welfare and women’s affairs) tendered their group resignation abruptly and walked out of the negotiations. But the government has not approved their resignation yet and the Maoists are appealed to join back the government. Currently the Maoists have promised peaceful agitation against the government. But at the same time, the second ranking Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai warned the government, "If our programs are suppressed we will go for retaliation”.

On September 18th in Kathmandu, during a mass gathering, Bhattarai announced that they will not respect the “code of conduct” established by the Election Commission and that they will hold string protests urging that a Republic be immediately declared.  He also announced they will hold demonstrations at all Village Development Committees and Municipalities across the country from September22 onwards. They have also announced a nationwide political strike from October 4 to 6. During the strikes all educational institutions, offices and transport will be completely closed.  He denounced that “the Indian expansionists and American imperialists have threatened that Nepal would become another Iraq”, inviting citizens to put an end to these moves through the ballot box.

On the very day of Maoists` decision to quit the government, the Maoists guerrillas left the UN supervised camps where they had been housed and took to the streets in uniform and chanting slogan against the government. They also burnt down the effigy of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

Yesterday Bhattarai told AsiaNews that “the Maoists as earlier will not go back to armed People's Movement or anything like that”. Maoist leader and Head of the foreign affair department of the party, Chandra Prakash Gajurel speaking about the peace agreement with UN said, "Our combatants may come out of the camps in peaceful demonstration when needed but after the demonstrations they must return back to their respective camps”. But the UN office in Nepal (UNMIN) has strongly condemned the idea and said that such activities clearly break the agreement. India, the UK and the USA have also expressed their “concern”, but termed it as an internal Nepalese affair, urging that the CA poll be held within the stipulated time.

The Maoists still represent for 83 seats out of 329 in the present interim legislative body. Previous to this they held a sustained war for over a decade against King Gyanendra, gaining control of entire regions.  Experts say the real motives behind protests are the Maoist fear of loosing seats in the elections and the desire to maintain their weapons.

 

• NEPAL
• MAOISTS
• GOVERNMENT
• PROTEST
• ELECTIONS
• UN
• USA
• INDAI
• ARMS