'No one can reverse republican order. Polls will decide who forms govt'
KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 5
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today reiterated his commitment to democracy and said nobody could reverse the republican order for which he had fought.
Addressing a mass gathering in front of the Narayanhiti Palace organised by his faction of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), he said the large turnout in Kathmandu proved that the faction led by him was the authentic NCP.
He accused the NCP faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal of imposing a general strike yesterday with a motive of preventing people from coming to his party's mass meeting.
Oli scotched rumours that he would declare monarchy from the mass meeting.
"We have bled for the federal democratic republican order and nobody can reverse these gains," the PM said.
Referring to incidents of violence during yesterday's general strike, Oli said no one would be allowed to resort to violence. He said the government would compensate those whose properties were damaged during the general strike yesterday.
"This government is committed to protecting the interests of the poor and maintaining law and order," he added.
He said after he signed the trade and transit pact with China in his first stint as prime minister, he was dislodged from power. "Attempts are being made to unseat me because I issued the new political and administrative map depicting Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani in Nepal."
Oli said the Dahal-Nepal faction had intensified attempts to dislodge him from power and were trying to form a new government with the support of other parties. "Is this political stability?" he wondered. He said he dissolved the House of Representatives when the Dahal-Nepal faction created political instability by raising obstacles against his government. "Elections were announced to let people decide who wants to work for the country and who does not," he added.
The PM said the country should not revert to political instability, but should go to polls.
Oli said the Dahal-Nepal faction was issuing threats to the Election Commission and the court. "I do not want to issue threats to our constitutional bodies. Our country is moving towards elections. Polls will decide who forms the government," the PM said.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokharel used the platform to iterate that their fight was against the forces that were attempting to create political instability and anarchy in the country.
"Our fight is also for the protection of national independence and territorial integrity," he added.
Pokharel said the Oli-led NCP was the only authentic NCP that would contest elections with the Sun election symbol.
Addressing the gathering, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa warned the Dahal-Nepal faction of the NCP against indulging in violence during protests.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 6, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
