The party has planned a massive demonstration on May 1 and called an indefinite general strike from the next day until the government is dissolved to pave the way for a Maoist-led national unity government and the “people´s constitution”. [break]
On Tuesday, over 500 cadres arrived in Kathmandu from the Maoist Avadh State and are taking shelter at an empty building belonging to Araniko School at Tripureshwar. According to party sources, Maoists have set up tents and are running a kitchen in the building owned by the Khetan group.
According to sources, similar number of cadres are arriving in Kathmandu in the next two or three days.
Similarly, over 1,000 cadres were bused in from Nuwakot district on Tuesday afternoon. According to witnesses, the cadres rode on the roof of the buses due to space crunch.
They are sheltering in private houses at Futung Manamaiju, just a few kilometers from Balaju. The party plans to bring in over 100 thousand cadres from surrounding districts alone. Maoists plan to massively mobilize Maoist-affiliated transport workers just ahead of May 1 to ferry them to Kathmandu.
Of the 14 Maoist states, the party is bringing cadres from 12 as it would be impossible to bring in cadres from Bhote-Lama and Sherpa states because of their remoteness.
Similarly, the Maoist district committees are also sending cadres to Kathmandu. Cadres in thousands from various districts including Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari are already sheltering at guesthouses at Kalanki, Gongabu, Sundhara, Bagbazaar and even Nagarkot.
According to party sources, each Ganatantra Manch ( Kathmandu-district liaison forum) has been asked to arrange food and accommodation for over 400 cadres.
Most of the cadres will shelter in factories, public halls and under-construction buildings. Maoist Trade Union chief Saligram Jamakattel has been entrusted with the task.
With the influx of Maoist cadres, the capital´s population has gone up, adversely affecting its already-insufficient lodging capacity and vegetable supplies.
According to Narayan Dahal, secretary of the Maoist Newa State Committee, over 300,000 cadres will come to the Valley.
While district-level leaders are staying at lodges, Maoist cadres have taken shelter at public buildings.
The most suitable places for Maoist cadres to stay seem to be private schools, which were forcibly shut down by the party´s student wing--All Nepal National Free Students Union-Revolutionary (ANNFSU-R)--on the pretext of protesting a fee hike.
The Private And Boarding Schools´ Organization of Nepal (PABSON) has disclosed that more than half a dozen schools have already been occupied by Maoist cadres.
"Some school owners have informed me that Maoist cadres have taken shelter in their schools," Rajesh Khadka, President of PABSON, told myrepublica.com. "But I cannot disclose their names for security reasons."
Similarly, the price of vegetables has gone up alarmingly in the Valley. Tomatoes, which were just Rs 18-20 per kg in the past week, are now anything between Rs 18-35. "Prices of all vegetables have gone up," says Bharat Khatiwada, president of the Vegetable Wholesalers´ Association (VWA).
According to Khatiwada, the Valley´s daily demand for vegetables has also increased. Usually, Kathmandu Valley consumes about 1,000 metric tons of vegetable. But now the Valley is facing a vegetable crunch in spite of ample imports. "Maoists are buying vegetables in bulk," Khatiwada says. "But we do not know the exact figure."
Maoist sources say that cadres entering the Valley from nearby districts have been told to bring along light blankets. They will be provided mats and pillows. The party will serve them Nepali meals and dry food. "They will stay in the Valley so long as our general strike continues," Dahal said. The Maoists have publicly vowed to deploy 500,000 cadres in the Valley.
Maoists have also thrashed out a plan to seize the capital. The party has identified 11 strategic points including Kalanki, Gongabu, Baneshwar and Sundhara which would be the vortex of the Maoist demonstrations.
"The key-places have been identified in such a way that the heart of Kathmandu would fall under the control of the protestors," said a Maoist leader. The party has arranged 30,000 protestors in Baneshwar alone.
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