Miscellaneous
Major parties appeal for calm
In the aftermath of the Kailali carnage, major parties Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) urged the agitating people and political parties to maintain calm and restraint.In the aftermath of the Kailali carnage, major parties Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) urged the agitating people and political parties to maintain calm and restraint.
A meeting of the three largest parties held at the Constituent Assembly building asked the parties and CA members not to make provocative statements. According to NC General Sectary Krishna Prasad Sitaula, the meeting also asked the government to take strong measures to maintain law and order.
Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala urged all the agitating groups to exercise restraint in the wake of violent protests raging in various parts of the country. Addressing the Legislature-Parliament on Monday after the violent incident, the PM said the constitution is a compromise document that may not address the concerns of all the groups.
“But the constitution can be amended as it is not something carved in the stone. There is enough room for change,” he assured. Koirala called on every one to stay away from violent activities as it would only delay constitution promulgation. He urged the people to press their demands peacefully.
The three parties, however, have different takes on the violence. The ruling NC and UML say it is a law and order problem and should be dealt with accordingly. The Maoists are of the view that the issue is political and should be settled through dialogue and consensus.
The parties will meet again on Tuesday morning with Deputy PM and Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam to review the situation. The meeting also decided not to halt the constitution drafting process. Deliberations on the Constitution Bill will begin in on Wednesday. According to Sitaula, the parties want to promulgate the constitution as soon as possible.
A Parliamentary Party meeting of the NC deplored the incident. Expressing sorrow at the death of police personnel, the NC urged the people to stay calm, asking them to be cautious as the country is set to get the new constitution soon.
“Our party wants to remind all that the new constitution can be achieved through discussion, not by violent means,” the party stated.
Issuing a statement, the opposition UCPN (Maoist) appealed to the agitating people, political parties and civil society to maintain harmony and unity to resolve the problems. Stating that the constitution was yet to address the demands of some communities, the statement signed by party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal warned that such incidents could prevent even genuine concerns from being addressed.
In a tweet, senior Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai said a political, not military, solution should be sought to the incident.
Former prime minister and senior NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba also condemned the incident. It is normal for anyone to present their demands peacefully in a democracy but the way security personnel were brutally killed by mob has made us speechless, Deuba noted.
CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya asked the major parties to resolve the problem in Madhes through dialogue. He urged them to stop the constitution drafting process to start talks.
Tharus began protests in Kailali after four major parties on August 8 decided to federate the country into six provinces. Some Madhes-based parties, Tharu organisations and activists deplored the agreement saying that the delineation divided the Tharu population between provinces.
On Friday, three parties decided to adopt seven provinces, which partially addressed the demands of the Mid West and Karnali but failed to pacify the Tharus.