Kathmandu, August 9:

Former general-secretary of the Nepal Students’ Union (NSU) Gagan Kumar Thapa, who is in detention, today announced his candidacy for the post of NSU president in the forthcoming 10th National Convention scheduled to be held in Pokhara on August 14-16. Issuing a press statement from the Kathmandu District Police Office, Hanumandhoka, he said he had announced his candidacy due to pressure from student activists and to win the battle for ‘total democracy’. “I will fight for the presidentship from the prison,” said Thapa, who was arrested on July 27 for chanting anti-monarchy slogans during a protest rally organised by the Civil Society on July 25. He said it would be “his duty to live up to the students’ expectations of winning the fight for democracy”. “Living up to the NSU history of being powerful ideological, moral and accountable student union, I would like to announce my candidacy with the agenda to strengthen it with political ideology and educational work plan,” he said in the statement.

He alleged that there were serious flaws in the selection of convention members and requested the Nepali Congress leadership to rectify them.