Kathmandu, August 6 :

A leader of civil society today said the ruling seven political parties should step down from the government if they cannot honour the wishes and demands of the general public.

Addressing a mass meeting at Basantapur, coordinator of the Citizens’ Movement for Peace and Democracy (CMPD), Dr Devendra Raj Pandey, said: “We have been urging the seven parties in the government to pursue the right path or the citizens’ movement will take steps forward.”

“The people are not asleep or even afraid to raise their voices. They are in fact silent just because they are still hopeful that someday the government will start working for them,” he added.

He said that the objective behind the mass gathering was to let the government realise that the people are still hoping that the government and the Maoists would come to a minimum understanding and go ahead with the peace process.

“How can we accept the House of Representatives when it shelters those who surrendered to the royal palace?” he asked.

Human rights activist Krishna Pahadi criticised the decision of the House to allow a daughter to ascend the throne and said: “A snake is a snake; Male or a female, it will bite.”

Another human rights activist, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, who had mediated in the talks between the government and the Maoists earlier, said the government is running away from the talks.

“The House is survivng on some of its senseless decisions. It could have also declared that there is no ethnic and linguistic discrimination in the country,” he said.

He also said that the government is trying to avoid the rising demand of ethnic and regional autonomy.

“The issue has taken such a height that others will raise arms even if the Maoists lay down theirs,” he said.

Journalist Shyam Shrestha said the people would be happy if the government simply followed the 8-point agreement signed with the rebels.

“The process is simple — as stated in the 8-piont agreement — manage weapons of both the Nepali Army and the People’s Liberation Army and hold elections to a constituent assembly after forming an interim government,” he said.

He also accused the House of granting amnesty to and “purifying” the Chief of Army Staff, Pyar Jung Thapa, who “played a key role in suppressing the Jana Andolan,” by making him swear in the House.