As part of a decision taken by the opposition parties to spearhead protests against the caretaker government, youths and students affiliated with various opposition parties had also staged protests at the main entrance of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) when the prime minister was leaving for Brazil to attend the Rio+20 Conference on June 18. Dozens of activists were injured when police used ‘excessive force’ to thwart the agitators’ plan to force the prime minister to abort his trip.
This came a day after nearly three dozen students were hurt when hundreds of police personnel intervened in a torch rally taken out by the Nepal Student Union (NSU) on Exhibition Road in the capital, in protest against the prime minister.
“But notwithstanding all these incidents, our party leaders are sitting for talks with the same prime minister and his party leaders against whom we are agitating. This kind of dual policy will lead us nowhere,” a senior leader of the NC said, venting his anger.
A central working committee (CWC) meeting of the NC held on June 19 had decided to take pro-active initiatives for talks with other parties including the ruling Maoist and Madhesi parties and simultaneously continue with the anti-government protests to force the prime minister to step down.
However, the NC leadership is now facing tremendous pressure from lower-rung leaders to choose one of two options. “It really does not feel good to see our top leaders sitting together with the prime minister and other ruling party leaders when our party’s sister organizations are out in the streets against the latter,” said another NC youth leader, asking to remain unnamed.
NC lower-rung cadres maintain that if the party feels the current political problems can be resolved through dialogue, the party leadership should decide to withdraw all its protests. If not, the party should devote all its energies to protest activities.
A senior NC leader told Republica that lower-rung leaders have already appraised the party president, Sushil Koirala, of the problem. The party’s CWC meeting to be held soon will take a decision how to move forward with the protests.
But CWC member NP Saud argued that it would not be wise to focus only on protests. “No matter what, we are not in a situation to rule out talks with the ruling parties. It is true we have not been able to intensify the protests due to various factors including weather,” he said.
What has made NC leaders apprehensive is that the UML, though it has agreed to step up protests against the current government, has not mobilized its student and youth organizations yet.
“All 27 opposition parties agreed to jointly launch protests against the government, but NSU and Tarun Dal cadres alone have been at the receiving end of police action so far,” complained a NSU leader.
CPN-UML affiliate All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) Central Secretariat Member Rachana Khadka, however, refuted the allegation. “We have been participating in all the protests. Though we were busy with a national gathering of party representatives, our colleagues from the Youth Association Nepal had participated in the TIA protest as well,” said Khadka.
A joint meeting of 27 opposition parties held at UML Headquarter in Balkhu on July 3 had decided to form a task force to issue a common declaration and step up the protests. However, the decision to go for protests has evaporated following a joint meeting of the UCPN (Maoist), NC, UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) at the residence of Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Lazimpat, Tuesday evening.
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