KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 20
The outlawed Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal has formally said that they were ready for talks with the government.
General Secretary of the party Chand, issuing a notice today, said the party was positive about holding talks with the government.
Explaining the party's movement, the notice said, "Our struggle is a conscious effort made for the betterment of the country, society, progressive transition and to secure the rights of the public."
It further said, "In this context, we notify all, that we are positive for talks with the government so that we could have better relations with the public."
The government had imposed restrictions on all the activities of the Chand-led CPN on 12 March 2019 following its violent activities.
Since then the government had arrested hundreds of the party's cadres and kept a close eye on those connected with the party. The police have also shot dead a few cadres in encounters.
Many top leaders were repeatedly arrested from the gates of court after the court denied judicial custody of the arrested.
In early August, 2019, RSS, a state run news agency, citing a politburo member in captivity had said that the party was ready for talks.
Mohan Karki, in an interview, had also said that he was arrested for trying to initiate dialogue between the government and his party.
He had said that they were focused on integrated people's revolution, not a guerilla warfare, and the current situation must be addressed through dialogue.
However, the request was not taken seriously by the government. But, the tension in national politics took a new course following the December 20 move of the government dissolving the House of Representatives.
The ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has split into two factions after HoR dissolution, and the Oli faction is trying to get support from the Chand-led CPN.
On February 2, Minister of Water Supplies Mani Thapa had visited Nakkhu prison to meet the Chand-led CPN's senior leader Hemanta Prakash Oli, to win favour of the outlawed party.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 21, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
