Home Minister Kamal Thapa (File photo)

Home Minister Kamal Thapa (File photo)
At a time when the seven opposition political parties have announced that they will actively boycott the municipal polls, Home Minister Kamal Thapa has said the government will take stern action against the political parties which try to obstruct the people’s right to vote.

Speaking at a program organized in Biratnagar Sunday, Minister Thapa said the government would not tolerate any attempt to obstruct people’s rights, adding, “The government will definitely ensure the people’s right to vote while taking stern action against the parties which boycott the polls.”

However, Minister Thapa said boycotting the polls is a fundamental right of the people.

Challenging the seven political parties’ claim that they will boycott the local polls, he said, “As Home Minister, I would like to give them the message that the government is ready to take any action allowed by law if they try to scuttle the polls.”

Stating that the government is active in trying to create a conducive environment for the polls, Thapa said election is the only way out to bring the derailed constitution to track.

Saying that the alliance of seven political parties was posing a danger to democracy itself, Minister Thapa said the plans of of Nepali Congress and CPN-UML to work with the Maoists was unfortunate for the country.

Stating that there was nothing about restoring peace in the 12-point agreement between the seven political parties and the Maoists, Minister Thapa claimed the seven political parties were trapped in the conspiracy of the Maoists.

The seven opposition political parties and Maoists reached to a 12-point agreement for restoration of complete democracy on November 22.

Meanwhile, General secretary of the CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal, said that public defiance and gherao programmes will be organised to scuttle the upcoming municipal polls.

Talking to the journalists in Biratnagar, he said the King resorted to the ‘strategy of election’ to extend the government’s tenure.

“No one should fall into any kind of ploy of the King,” he said, adding, “Civic consciousness has increased as the King’s autocratic regime is behaving with the political parties as if they were enemies.”