Kathmandu, December 8:

Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai said today that they wanted to overthrow the feudal monarchy to establish a capitalist order in the country.

“The phase of feudal political order led by the monarchy is over. If you really want to establish a capitalist order, monarchy must be overthrown before the CA polls,” he said.

Dr Bhattarai said this at a talk programme held by Nepal National Intellectual Organisation and Newa State Council at Pulchowk Engineering Campus on “Republic and proportional system of election for state restructuring”.

“The political order we want to establish is a kind of a capitalist order in which discrimination aga-inst region, gender and ethnicity no longer prevails,” he said.

Dr Bhattarai said they raised the issue of declaring a republic before the CA polls after it became obvious that the monarchy did not allow the CA polls to happen in June. Citing Clause 3 of the 12-point understanding reached between the then seven-party alliance and the Maoists, he said they and the parliamentary forces had agreed to hold the CA polls only after the “end of the autocratic monarchy”.

He said the phrase of ending the autocratic monarchy was misinterpreted by parliamentary parties.

Bhattarai said they raised the issue of a fully proportional representation system of election to ensure “ideological representation of political parties” and “proportional representation of the marginalised groups, Madhesis, ethnic communities, women and Dalits in the constitution making body”. He said, “We want to resolve the problem in a peaceful manner. If peaceful overtures fail, we may have to raise the flag of revolt again.” Dr Bhattarai said the issues of nationalism, sovereignty and regional integrity must be taken seriously while talking about the issue of republic.

He said that Maoist chairman Prachanda’s statement on December 4 was wrongly interpreted by the media.