Kathmandu, April 28:

Thousands of people, who are yet to be included in the mainstream of development, today protested in front of the Singh Durbar gate, demanding announcement of elections to a constituent assembly in order to ensure a decisive role for them in the changed political scenario.

Various rallies started from different parts of the city and converged at the Singh Durbar, where the first session of the reinstated House of Representatives was taking place.

People from various indigenous and backward communities and some representatives of NGOs called for elections to a constituent assembly so as to ensure their participation in the making of new constitution and the subsequent process of nation-building.

Also present on the occasion were Buddhists, Dalits, disabled people, human rights activists, civil society members and journalists.

Prominent rights activists, journalists and ethnic rights activists staged a sit-in outside the Singh Durbar main gate for over two hours while others chanted slogans for an end to monarchy, creation of a constituent assembly and assurance of ethnic rights.

“We want restructuring of the state along with regional and ethnic autonomy, secularism and other ethnic rights secured through a constituent assembly,” said Dr Om Gurung, general secretary of the Nepalese Federation of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities (NEFIN), addressing the mass gathered there.

He said that the state mechanism had deprived indigenous people of their rights for the last two-and-a-half centuries, thereby leaving them behind in the mainstream development process.

Some activists clambered atop the statue of King Prithvi Narayan Shah and hoisted symbolic flags of indigenous people and Buddhism as well as the flags of political parties on it.

The Civic Movement for Democracy and Peace, Human Rights Organisation of Nepal, National Dalit Journalists’ Organisation, Families of Citizens Disappeared by the State, Newar Forum for Political Rights, United People’s Movement Committee of Gongabu, and several other organisations participated in today’s programme.