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Kathmandu Monday April 16, 2001 Baishakh 03, 2058.
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Oppn set to block PM’s entry into Singh Durbar
Scuffle with police expected
Post Report
KATHMANDU, April 15 - The government and the main opposition CPN-UML
supported by various other left parties are heading for a showdown Monday at Singha Durbar
over the blockade to prevent the Prime Minister from entering it.
As informed by the CPN-UML leaders, thousands of their supporters along with
others from the various supporting left parties will gather in Putalisadak from 9 am
Monday morning with the aim of preventing Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala from
entering the premises of his office in Singha Durbar.
Although the General Secretary of CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal said in Dolkha
today that the protest would be a peaceful one and in accordance to the Constitution,
violence in case of sudden turn of events cannot be entirely wiped out.
With the CPN-UML cadres determined not to let the Prime Minister pass through
and saying that they are willing to go to any extent in doing so, it is likely that at
least some scuffle between the police and the left cadres could break out as Koirala it
seems has decided to enter his office through the main entrance.
According to a source in the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Prime Minister has
ordered the Home Minister to ensure safe passage to Singha Durbar through the regular
route. The source also said that Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel has issued a circular
asking to keep the special police force stationed at different places. "The police
have been asked to use force if necessary," added the source.
On the other hand the influential leader of CPN-UML and coordinator of the
party’s National Protest Program Coordination Committee, KP Sharma Oli said that the
party was determined to go ahead with the program and prevent Koirala from entering his
office.
"The Home Minister has run away from 73 districts fearing
anti-Constitutional activities, the Police force has been battered by the insurgents in
different places, and if force is used against a peaceful protest then we will be also
forced to think what the Maoists are doing is right," he said.
"But in no way are we going to turn back. We will stop Koirala from
entering Singha Durbar," Oli added.
Meanwhile, Srikant Regmi, Secretary at the Home Ministry, said that
sufficient security measures had been taken up to prevent any untoward incidents.
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