Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Prakash Man Singh led a campaign of publicity and distribution of handbills at Basantapur and New Road on Wednesday seeking locals´ support to the “show of strength” jointly planned by the opposition parties for Friday.[break]
“Other leaders Gopal Raj Pahadi, Nabindra Raj Joshi, Surendra Raj Pandey, including hundreds of cadres joined the publicity campaign led by Singh,” said a statement issued by NC office secretary Pradeep Parajuli.
The nine opposition parties have announced to conclude the first-phase of their protests by gathering tens of thousands of demonstrators at Ratna Park in Kathmandu on Friday. They have already planned second phase of protests for later this month. Leaders said they will announce the new protest programs during the Friday´s gathering.
Opposition leaders in press meet. (Photo: Republica)
Also, CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel led a group of leaders and cadres who distributed handbills to the public in Bhotahiti area on Wednesday morning appealing locals and general people to join their upcoming mass gatherings and support the anti-government protests. UML leaders Gangalal Tuladhar and Krishna Gopal Shrestha, among other party cadres, joined the campaign.
Meanwhile, leaders from the agitating parties at a press meet at NC head office in Sanepa on Wednesday urged people from various walks of life to support their protests.
Accusing the present ruling coalition of trying to capture state powers by rendering all the crucial constitutional bodies defunct, NC and CPN-UML leaders at the press meet argued that it had become urgent to fight against the UCPN (Maoist) party´s plan to impose autocratic system in the country.
“We are very clear that the country can´t get any solution without first forming a consensus government and ensuring fresh election to the Constituent Assembly,” said a joint statement issued by the agitating parties. “Our protest against the totalitarianism will continue until the country gets a solution and the Friday´s joint mass meet is planned with a view to taking the ongoing movement to a logical conclusion.”
UML leader Ishwor Pokharel in publicity rally. (Photo: Bhaswor Ojha)
NC, CPN-UML, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, CPN-ML, Rastriya Janashakti Party, CPN (Samyukta), Rastriya Janamorcha, Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandidevi) and Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekta Party Nepal have taken to the streets demanding Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai´s immediate exit and formation of national consensus government to conduct fresh elections.
Also, sister wings of the two parties have planned to take out motorcycle rallies on Friday, a day before the mass gathering in the capital. The opposition parties have already held regional gatherings in Biratnagar, Pokhara, Nepalgunj and Dhangadi, among other places.
Related story
Ring Road cleanup campaign begins from Saturday
