They also announced other protest programs to pressure the government to safeguard ´sovereignty´ and ´national independence´. [break]
They claimed that an ´illegal´ and ´unauthorized´ office of the Indian government was operating in Biratnagar.
“We urged that our demand be addressed peacefully, removing the illegal field office of the Indian embassy on time," said CP Gajurel, vice-chairman of CPN-Maoist, addressing party cadres after submitting the memorandum.
"We urged the Indian government to remove the illegal filed office on time. Otherwise we would not be responsible for the consequences," reads the memorandum submitted to the Indian embassy.
Vice-chairman of CPN-Maoist CP Gajurel after submitting memo. (Photo: Keshab Thoker)
"It is our symbolic protest against Indian interference. UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is in India and he had given permission for the field office in Biratnagar," said Mani Thapa, chief of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Nepal.
By coincidence, the 54 parties have submitted the memorandum for removal of the field office when Dahal is visiting India.
According to Thapa, India has been interfering in Nepal on the pretext of maintaining pension camps and carrying out other activities.
The demand by the two political alliances comes amid dilly-dallying by the Indian embassy over closing the ´field office´ even though the government has written to the Indian embassy twice in this connection.
The Indian embassy had opened a ´field office´ near the Koshi Barrage to issue ´permits´ to Nepalese vehicles in the aftermath of a breach in the Koshi embankment at Kushaha, Sunsari district on August 18, 2008.
Officials said the office was relocated to Biratnagar without seeking permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), once the damaged road section was repaired a few months later.
As the Indian embassy did not respond to a letter sent in January, 2011 to close the field office as it no longer had any relevance, MoFA wrote again to the Indian embassy a few weeks ago to close the office immediately.
Leaders of the 54 political parties have appealed to all people including supporters of federalism, leftism, nationalism and identity-based federalism to express solidarity to save national sovereignty.
Indigenous Nationalists, Madhesi Muslims, Dalit Republican Front, Khambuwan National Front, Indigenous Nationalist Party Nepal, Federal Democratic National Forum (Tharuhat) and Mongol Mulbasi Party are under FNRFN.
Earlier, FPRFN had imposed a nationwide shutdown to press the demand for closure of the Indians field office.
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