Panchthar, October 29:

Emboldened by the Maoists’ unilateral ceasefire and let-up in violence against political parties’ cadres, the seven-party alliance fillip to popular agitation against regression, autocracy and the political crisis in the country has started taking shape in the rural areas.

Today, speakers belonging to various constituents of the alliance addressed a gathering on the Khalangtar Secondary School ground in Prubi Yangnam VDC of Panchthar district.

The meeting was organised by the Joint People’s Movement Coordination Committee (JPMC) o stress the need for restoration of democracy and fundamental rights of the people.

UML leader and former MP Bijaya Subba said more than 90 per cent of the people were against the takeover February 1 and were showing solidarity towards the agitation launched by the seven political parties.

Subba who is also president of the Jansanskritik Manch and central member of Loktantrik Abhiyan said the monarchy would find itself in hot water were the common people to start carrying guns to fight regression. “At a time when the country is veering towards internal confrontation, we urge the government to be serious about solving the problem,” Subba said adding that once the nation gets sucked into the vortex of rampant violence it would be very difficult to control the situation.

NC leader Bhawani Prasad Khatiwada pointed out that his party had already deleted the clause of ‘constitutional monarchy’ from its manifesto and that the door for a republican set-up was already open.

Alternative central committee member of the CPN-ML, Dinanath Ghimire, said it was high time for the Maoists to back the parties’ ongoing movement decisively and strongly. Even after allying with Maoists the parties need to strengthen the movement, Ghimire said.

On the occasion, member of the Maoists’ number 2 sub-bureau and district secretary Agni said in deference to the sentiment of the Nepali people his party had declared a unilateral ceasefire for three months.

Tirtha Timilsena, representative of the Nepal Teachers’ Organisation questioned the rationale of the government’s use of guns to stay on in power. Cadres of the alliance constituents including UML cadre Raj Kumar Bhandari, Rup Narayan Jawegu of Nepal Teachers’ Association, Ranu Shrestha of NC-D and Bharat Khadka of Nepal Janmorcha Nepal also addressed the meeting.

This was the first mass meeting in the district since 2000 after the Maoists banned all political programmes at the VDC level.