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Kathmandu Wednesday April 18, 2001 Baishakh 05, 2058.
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Oppn to escalate
protest program
By Utpal Raj Misra
KATHMANDU, April 17 – The main
opposition CPN- UML and the other supporting left parties today declared that they would
intensify their protest program from Wednesday to oust Prime Minister Girija Prasad
Koirala from his office.
Speaking to journalists during a quickly
called press conference in the capital today, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, a powerful CPN-UML
leader, said that the party along with the other left parties have decided to continue
their street protest against the Prime Minister for the third day. The left parties will
organize a "peaceful rally" on Wednesday at 3 pm from Ratnapark.
"Our protest rally is going to be a
peaceful one but if the government tries to intervene and uses force to disrupt it, the
government will be responsible for any ugly turn of events," he said.
He also said that the protest program would
no longer be limited to the capital. "It will spread to all major districts from
tomorrow," Oli said.
Addressing the press conference, General
Secretary of the main opposition CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal said that no "foreign
backing" would be sufficient to keep Koirala in power.
"No external saline to prop up the
government would help Girija Prasad Koirala to stick to his chair," Nepal said.
However, Nepal said that his party has not
filed any formal complaint in this matter in the embassies of the concerned countries. But
Amik Sherchan, leader of the United Peoples’ Front said that his party has submitted
a written complaint to the concerned embassies.
The leaders of all the agitating left parties
were present during the press conference organized a few hours after their release.
Majority of the leaders were taken into custody this morning as they were preparing for
their ‘peaceful protest rally’ at Putalisadak.
The left parties claimed that altogether 53
leaders including 23 MPs were detained. Though most of the central leaders and the MPs
have been released, Oli claimed that more than four dozens of cadres are still detained.
General Secretary Nepal lambasted the
government for arresting the leaders and cadres of the party "without any
cause."
"The police who arrested me did not have
any arrest warrant nor had I done anything against law," he said furiously. "I
was just standing at the pavement when they arrested me."
Nothing can be expected from this weak and
corrupt government which has not been able to protect its citizens while police are being
mercilessly killed in the districts and millions of rupees are being looted from the
banks, Nepal said.
Ruling out any possibilities for talks with
the government, Nepal declared that the country was heading towards conflict and the only
way out was the PM’s resignation.
The leaders also accused the police of
vandalism. Referring to a photo in the first page of Kantipur daily, which displayed
broken windows, Oli claimed that it was the police who had thrown stones. But when told
that there also was another photo featuring a boy throwing stone, Oli said that it was not
abnormal for the party cadres to retaliate to the police oppression as the leaders were
being abused, assaulted and detained for no reason at all.
The second consecutive day of protest today
was also not free from violence. Several incidents of violence and vandalism were reported
from various parts of the capital.
According to a press release issued by the
Home Ministry at least three government vehicles were damaged by pelting stones and a
motor cycle of a corporation was set on fire.
The release also states that some force had
to be used to maintain law and order at several places. 68 persons including some
lawmakers were detained and released after a few hours, the release adds.
In today’s protest there were
indications that even the underground Maioists were supporting the left protest. According
to the eyewitnesses, few people who burned tyre in Teku shouted Maoist slogans before
leaving the scene.
The left parties also organized torch rallies
at various parts of the capital as a part of their protest program this evening. Such
rallies were seen in Teku, Kalimati, Sinamangal, New Road, New Baneshwore, Budhanilkantha,
Maitidevi and Kathmandu Ganesh Thaan in Kathmandu and Mangal Bazar in Patan. In Bhaktapur
the police disrupted similar torch rallies in Sallaghari and Thimi.
According to the police altogether seven
people involved in the rallies have been arrested. Police said all the detainees would be
released on Wednesday after regular questioning.
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