We won't quit peace process: Dahal

(Updated with details, 1940 NST, 1455 GMT)

Status-quoist parties are not in favor of writing a new constitution

Maoists are apples of people´s eyes, but for the parliamentary parties Maoists are like blind man´s elephant

Foreign masters are seizing the Nepali people´s sovereign right to self-determination

The dirty game of 301 may derail the peace process

KATHMANDU, May 17: While venting vitriol against other political parties, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal reiterated that his party will never backtrack from the peace process. [break]

Addressing his tens of thousands of cadres at a rally organized in Kathmandu´s Tundikhel on Sunday to protest President Dr Ram Baran Yadav´s move against dismissal of Nepal Army (NA) Chief Rookmangud Katawal, Dahal said, "Status-quoist parliamentary parties which are the servants of foreign forces, want the Maoists to return to insurgency. But we will never run away from our historic responsibility of writing a new constitution and will never quit the peace process."

He said, the Maoists instead will fight national and international reactionary forces to restore civilian supremacy in the country.

He charged that the status-quoist parties, backed by foreign reactionary forces, are bent on undermining people´s supremacy to establish military supremacy.

"But the reactionary forces must realize the fact that the elected prime minister has launched a movement against military supremacy, which will have a long-term impact," Prime Minister Dahal said.

While charging that a conspiracy against the peace process and new constitution is being woven, he said the ´old and rejected´ political parties are hatching such conspiracy. "The current exercise to form the government with support from the foreign masters is a part of such conspiracy," he said.

He said foreign masters have seized the Nepali people´s sovereign right to self-determination.

"We renounced power and stepped down because we didn´t want to surrender before the foreign masters. To us, the prime minister´s post is worthless compared to the interest of the people and the nation," he said without mentioning who the foreign masters are. The massive crowd, one of the largest that the capital has seen in recent times, applauded and whistled in appreciation.

He said the status-quoist parties in their mission to serve their foreign masters are planning to exterminate Maoists just like the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam) in Sri Lanka.

"But the Maoists have already secured their place in the eyes of Nepalis people so the status-quoist parties will themselves become exterminated by the Nepali people one day," he said.

While criticizing the president´s move to ask the army chief to continue in his position, Prime Minister Dahal said the president´s order was drafted in foreign land.

He said the reactionary forces within the country and outside had started conspiring against his government ever since he tried to take a different path. "Ever since I became prime minister, I tried to take a different path. Whether it be my visit to Olympic games in China or my addressing the issues of poor and marginalized people in Nepal, I had sensed that reactionary forces did not like my ways and were conspiring against my government," he said.

Prime Minister Dahal ended his speech with a call for a broader national consensus. "If the parties are in favor of the peace process and want to write a new constitution, they must immediately come together for broader national consensus and stop playing the dirty game of 301," he said.