KATHMANDU, MARCH 21

CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal today accused Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of working as a puppet of a foreign country for the past 20 to 25 years.

Addressing an interaction organised by Dalit Mukti Morcha on the occasion of the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination here today, Dahal said there were two fronts now - one led by PM Oli, which wanted to tear the constitution and end the republican order, federalism and inclusion, and another front led by himself, which wanted to protect the rights of Madhesis, Dalits, Muslims, women, and all marginalised and oppressed groups.

Dahal said, although some people were accusing him of abandoning the agenda of marginalised groups, but he had not done so. 'I have decided to accept the rights for marginalised groups and fight for the remaining agenda,' Dahal argued.

Dahal said PM Oli represented the high hill upper caste arrogance and was trying to end the republican order, federalism and inclusion.

High hill upper caste rulers do not like the present constitution, particularly federalism and inclusion, and hence they want to derail the constitution, Dahal said.

Dahal said anti-change forces viewed him as the champion of Dalit and other oppressed and marginalised groups, and they were trying to sabotage his efforts so that they could muzzle the voice of oppressed groups. Dahal said that he had sealed the unification deal with PM Oli in an attempt to unite communist forces so that the constitution could be amended with two-thirds majority to address the concerns of oppressed groups, but Oli was not in favour of fulfilling the demands of oppressed groups.

CPN-MC was the party that brought awareness among Dalit and other marginalised communities about their rights. Dahal said he cherished the moment when he assigned Dalits as chiefs of people's war units during the Maoist insurgency.

He added that he spent his childhood with Dalits in Chitwan and accepted the communist party's membership from a Dalit, which helped him understand better the plight of the communities. I have the same feeling for other marginalised communities as I have for Madhesis, Muslims, and indigenous nationalities, he argued.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 22, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.