Kathmandu, September 17 :

All Nepal National Independent Students Union -Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) has decided to lead the republican students’ front which will be formed after its 17th national conference, to push for establishment of a republican set- up.

“The ongoing central committee meeting has decided to lead the republican students’ front to establish a republic,” Lekhnath Neupane, the ANNISU-R president, said today.

A strong people’s movement is the only way to push for establishment of a republic and ANNISU-R will lead the movement, Neupane stressed. Neupane said some 100,000 ANNISU-R supporters from all over Nepal will participate in the 17th national conference beginning in the capital tomorrow.

As many as 1,000 representatives and observers from all ‘79 districts’ of the country- as classified by the Maoists are scheduled to participate in the conference.

Neupane said they had asked supremo Prachanda to inaugurate the conference but that could not happen due to the latest security situation.

He said electing a new executive committee is not the major question of the conference and much of the time would be devoted to decide on the political strategy.