Last November, all the major political parties had signed a paper pledging not to hold any strike and to help the government make the much-touted tourism year campaign a grand success.
The parties, however, defended themselves, saying they have neither taken any decision to hold a general strike nor did they think such activities could address the demand put forth by their ethnic fronts.[break]
“We haven´t expressed solidarity with the ethic fronts in calling the general strike. Neither could what they have demanded be fulfilled by the government. It is an issue under discussion at the Constituent Assembly (CA),” said UML leader Pradip Gyanwali.
Asked if his party should not be responsible for the official decisions of its ethnic fronts, he said: “Which political wings do you think are under the control of their mother parties?”
Similar was the response of Maoist Spokesperson Dinanath Sharma, who said he learnt about the strike only on Tuesday evening and immediately reported it to the party.
“We then sent Anantaji [Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Barshaman Pun] to his ministry and he held a meeting with the agitating parties, asking them to call off their strike, but to no avail. The chairman then decided to postpone the scheduled central committee meeting to Thursday,” he said.
The Maoist spokesperson argued that the ethnic fronts of all the parties are involved in the general strike and his party alone should not be blamed.
Nepali Congress (NC) Vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel also denied that his party was involved in the strike, and even argued that the NC does not have any ethnic front.
“We have the Adivasi Janajati Liaison Forum only. Some individuals from the party may have participated in the general strike, but the party had not taken any official decision in that connection,” said Poudel, “It is unfortunate that we make promises only to break them.”
Expressing solidarity with Visit Nepal 2011, the chiefs of 12 political parties including Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, then Nepali Congress (NC) Chairman Girija Prasad Koirala, CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, Madhesi People´s Rights Forum Nepal (MPRF-N) President Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, Tarai Madhes Loktantra Party (TMDP) President Mahanta Thakur and Sadbhavana Party (SP) Chairman Rajendra Mahato had signed a paper pledging not to hold any strike that would affect the tourism campaign.
Ethnic activists-cum-party leaders, however, claimed that all the major parties had expressed solidarity with their ethnic fronts in calling the strike.
“There was solidarity with us from all parties including the UCPN (Maoist), NC and UML,” said Kabel Bahadur Tamang, chief of the NC-aligned Nepal Tamang Sangh.
He said none of the major parties pressured then to withdraw the general strike, which was held to ensure “an all-inclusive constitution”.
Bir Bahadur Tamang, chairman of the UML-aligned Lokatantrik Tamang Sangh, said, however, that the government and the major parties had asked them to call off the strike.
“But why withdraw the strike. We called the strike as they formed Sunkoshi and Narayani Pradesh without consulting us,” he said.
Tamang argued that the purpose of the strike was to ensure formation of Newa and Tamsaling federal states in the new constitution.
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