Leaders of various political parties have dubbed the recent remarks of Dr Tulsi Giri, vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers, as an attempt to prolong autocratic rule neglecting the people’s aspiration for peace.
Speaking at an interaction in the capital on Wednesday, standing committee member of CPN-UML Jhal Nath Khanal said Dr Giri’s remarks regarding democracy and the 12-point pact between political parties and Maoists as pointless statements of the royal government.
He added that the agreement between Maoists and the political parties is a sincere attempt to bring the Maoists into the mainstream of politics and restore peace in the country.
Commenting on the 12-point understanding between the seven party opposition alliance and the CPN (Maoist), Dr Giri on Tuesday said that the government rejects such an understanding.
Referring to the comment of the vice-chairman (VC) Giri that there is no need for restoration of democracy in the country as democracy was functioning in the country, Khanal said there is no democracy in the country, but the King was compelled to return some rights of the people as a result of the people’s movement.
Stating that the UML had already decided to go for a democratic republic, he expressed the hope that all the parties of the seven-opposition alliance would agree in the same agenda.
He charged the government for politicizing every organ of the state and warned that the government will pay a high price for it.
General Secretary of Nepali Congress (NC) Ram Chandra Poudel said that VC Giri has expressed the ill-intention of the state. He warned that NC is ready to go for a republican setup if the King did not correct his mistakes and return back people’s rights.
He marked the comment of VC Giri about democracy as the royal model of democracy, which he said won’t be acceptable to sovereign people.
Poudel also said that they will disrupt the municipal polls slated for February 8 next year at any cost. He however ruled out possibility of using violent means for disrupting polls.
The Maoists and the alliance of seven opposition political parties reached a agreement to boycott the polls announced by the government saying election is a ploy to legitimize the autocratic royal government.
Spokesperson of NC (Democratic) Dr Minendra Rijal ruled out the possibility of talks with the King saying the King had breached the limitation of the constitutional monarchy.
Dr Giri on Tuesday said that the government was ready to hold discussions with opposition parties on all issues except the agenda of ‘republic.’
On the decision of the Election Commission to allow independent candidates to use the sign of NC (D), Rijal said the move of the EC is politically motivated and added that they are protesting the move.
He said that the government is not ready to resolve the Maoist insurgency, as it wants to use it as a tool for the continuity of the royal regime.
General Secretary of Nepal Sadbhawana party Hrideyesh Tripathi expressed the hope that the King will call back his decision of holding municipal polls to save the country from confrontation.
Leader Tripathi said that they will adopt peaceful measures to boycott the polls and expressed hope that more than 75 percent people will boycott it.