Civil society members call for HoR reinstatement

KATHMANDU, JANUARY 10

Prominent civil society members have expressed serious concern about the dissolution of the House of Representatives and urged everyone to raise their voice against the undemocratic move.

Issuing a joint statement today, senior civil society members Devendra Raj Pandey and Krishna Pahadi said that the dissolution of the House was an unconstitutional move that had badly shaken people’s trust in the federal republican system.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had, on December 20, recommended House dissolution, which was approved by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, and on the same day, April 30 and May 10 were announced as election dates.

People from various walks of life, including members of civil society, human rights activists, representatives of opposition Nepali Congress and a major faction of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal, have been protesting against dissolution of the House.

The joint statement further termed the dissolution of the House a regressive move taken by the government after failing to address the party’s internal grievances.

The statement reminded the government about how all parties had stood together during the people’s movement of 2006 that helped build a strong foundation for today’s federal republic and people’s aspiration for peace.

‘It was the same movement that abolished monarchy and paved the way for the Constituent Assembly election, which eventually led to promulgation of the new constitution,” the statement read.

The statement further said that the constitution was in the process of being implemented and federalism had not been yet fully been established in the country.

“Amid all this, the dissolution of the House has shattered people’s hopes and given rise to the suspicion that the achievements would be wasted. The constitution is being attacked by the very people responsible for safeguarding it,” Pandey and Pahadi said.

They also expressed worry about opposition Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s inability to take a clear stand on the issue.

Deuba has been saying that the NC will abide by the Supreme Court’s decision on the dissolution of the House and refrain from commenting on the case sub-judice at the court. However, senior NC leader Ramchandra Paudel has been saying that the dissolved House shall be reinstated through street protests.

“Deuba’s dubious stand is a matter of serious concern,” the statement reads.