People took to the streets in several parts of the country on Monday in protest of India’s blockade of essential supplies to Nepal.

Local people, in an initiative of Nationalist Civil Forum, staged a demonstration against the blockade in Kakadvitta, Jhapa. They took out a protest rally from Hanuman Temple that moved around the town. The demonstrators chanted anti-India slogans. The locals also staged protest near the Mechi bridge at Nepal-India border. The recently formed forum is led by CPN-UML leader Bhupal Siwakoti.

Likewise, student organisations affiliated with Nepali Congress, UML and UCPN (Maoist) staged protest rally against the blockade in Gulariya, the district headquarters of Bardiya. The rally that later converged into a corner meet at Radhakrishna Chowk after moving around the town.

They chanted slogans urging national unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and goodwill. The protesters blamed India for interfering into internal affairs of a sovereign country.

In Bhairahawa, hundreds of people gathered near Nepal-India border to ‘retaliate’ the obstruction of Sunauli border point by the activists of various Madhes-based parties. The security personnel prevented the mob that attempted to chase away the protesters from obstructing the border.

The no-man’s-land area remained tense as a result. Both sides chanted slogans against each other.    

Meanwhile, local people at Buddha Chowk in Bhairahawa burnt the effigies of Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav and Sadbhawana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato. The protesters termed Yadav and Mahato as the “compradors” of India.

Our correspondent from Dhangadhi in Kailali district said the students staged a protest programme against the blockade. The protesters claimed that India did not want to see a peaceful and prosperous Nepal.

Similarly, people staged protest programmes against India’s blockade in Jumla, Kanchanpur, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Kaski, Syangja, Lamjung, Palpa. Enraged at the shortage of essential commodities due to the ongoing blockade, the protesters burnt the effigies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The activists of three major parties, Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist, Rastriya Janamorcha, among others, took to the street against the blockade.

Cable operators to stop broadcast of Indian channels

KATHMANDU: Cable TV operators have announced that they would cut all the Indian channels from 10am on Tuesday in a symbolic protest against India’s unofficial blockade on Nepal. President of Federation of Nepal Cable Television Association Sushil Parajuli said a meeting of cable operators on Monday took the decision to this effect in protest of Indian interference into Nepal’s internal affairs.

“We have also received pressure from parties and public,” Parajuli told the Post, adding, “We have decided to stop broadcasting Indian channels indefinitely from 10am on Tuesday.” Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist had lobbied, in writing, to stop the broadcast of Hindi channels, it has been learnt. According to Parajuli, the broadcast of Hindi channels have already stopped in Chitwan, Pokhara and Mahendranagar.

(With inputs from local correspondents)

Modi govt’s stance dismays CPI (M)

India’s CPI (M) has expressed its dismay at the position taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Nepal’s new constitution.

In a statement released on Monday, the party’s politburo has concluded that the ‘unfortunate’ position of the Indian government was triggered by “RSS/BJP dismay that Nepal has rejected the demands to declare itself as a Hindu Rashtra [Hindu state].” Stating that any decision Nepal’s “political structures are matters that are sovereign to the people of Nepal”, the CPI (M) has called upon the Central Government “to ensure that the country-to-country and people-to-people relations between India and Nepal must strengthen without any obstacles being erected in this process”.

 Describing the constitution as a culmination of a long and arduous struggle by the people of Nepal for democracy, secularism and federalism in their country, the party wished Nepalis a success.

 Meanwhile, speaking to the Post, party’s General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri said the constitution was an internal matter of Nepal and that there is no point in taking an interventionist approach to a constitution that has been adopted by a majority.