Facing a 72-hour ultimatum from the Maoist party to quit or face a nationwide protest movement, embattled Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal held an emergency meeting with the President, Ram Baran Yadav, on Monday for a solution.
The meeting came after the Maoists on Monday reminded the government that of the month-long deadline given by them to the government, only 72 hours remained.
Maoist spokesman Dinanath Sharma told TNN that a three-member “united front” had been formed under former finance minister Baburam Bhattarai, which would lead the future protests as well as try to woo other like-minded left forces in the country within the fold. From Friday, the Maoists will begin to block the parliament once more.
The Maoists are demanding the dissolution of Nepal’s 23-party government and the formation of a new national government under their leadership. If the demand is not met by Wednesday, in addition to the renewed siege on parliament, they are also going to start other pressure tactics.
Maoist Standing Committee decides to wage month-long stir if ultimatum not met
The Standing Committee meeting of the Unified CPN (Maoist) has seconded party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's yesterday's warning and decided to re-launch a strong struggle '"from the street and the parliament" if the government failed to come clear on the issues of civilian supremacy and 'unconstitutional' move of the President on the Army chief episode within the next three days.
The first ever meeting of the topmost decision-making body of the party, which was resurrected after the party started getting increasingly restless over its desire to see a Maoist-led national unity government and simultaneously went for multiple-post leadership in the party - also constituted National People's Movement Coordination Committee under the chairmanship of vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai to oversee the struggle it has dubbed as the 'third people's movement'.
The committee also comprises senior Maoist leaders Amik Sherchan and Netra Bikram Chand 'Biplav'. The committee is expected get a full-shape within a day or two.
The Standing Committee also decided to boycott the public appearances of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and President Dr Ram Baran Yadav if the 22-coalition failed to address the issues raised by the party.
In the meeting that was held at party Chairman Dahal's residence in Nayabazaar since early Monday morning, there was also careful review of the decisions made during the protracted CC meeting and discussion on the future strategy of the party.
"We had given one month ultimatum to address the issues concerning the President's unconstitutional move. There will be protests in the streets as well as the parliament if the government fails to forge political consensus on those issues within four days," Dahal said while speaking at the press conference organised at the party office in Koteshwor to publicise the decisions of the CC meeting Sunday.
Dahal further said the present government would be responsible for the situation arising from the street movement, but assured that the protests would be peaceful.
The Maoist chairman also made it clear that his party agreed to join the high-level mechanism of major parties for timely completion of the peace process and the constitution-writing and that the Maoist party is not concerned about a mechanism that is meant to oversee the government's affairs
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