Kathmandu, April 22:

Leftist leaders today emphasised unity among the communists to overthrow the monarchy and establish a democratic republic in the country.

They expressed this view while addressing a talk programme on “Immediate Responsibility of the Communist Movement” organised by the Maoists’ Valley Bureau.

Addressing the function, Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai said the immediate responsibility of all the communist forces in the country is to bring an end to monarchy, establish a democratic republic and forge unity among the communist forces.

Dr Bhattarai said that unity among the communist forces was possible provided that the parties roped in Pushpalal’s New Democracy, Madan Bhandari’s People’s Multiparty Democracy and Prachanda’s Prachanda Path in a single theory.

He said that the interim parliament could declare the country a republic if election to a constituent could not be held in the near future. “The Nepali Congress is trying to defer the assembly polls as it is well aware of the fact that it will lose the election if it is held this time around,” Bhattarai said, adding that the immediate responsibility of the leftist forces is to announce a republic through the interim parliament, where the leftist are in a majority. He also stressed the need to safeguard nationality and address grievances of ethnic groups and Madhesis on class basis.

He said that proletariat’s supremacy in the state was impossible without having the armed force. Country is heading towards republic due to the presence of the People’s Liberation Army, he said.

CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said the leftist forces could emerge victorious if they contest the assembly polls unitedly and establish popular base among the people. He said the assembly election could not be deferred indefinitely this time as the communist forces are much-more stronger this time than during the 1950s.

He said there should be an ideological clarity to unite the communist factions. He warned that the communist forces would lose the election if they contested it divided.

Lilamani Pokharel of the Janamorcha Nepal said it was not necessary to go for a referendum to overthrow the monarchy as the interim parliament could do so as it already had got the people’s mandate.

Human rights activist and leftist leader Padma Ratna Tuladhar said the immediate responsibility of the communists was to overthrow the monarchy either through the parliament, by a referendum or by a constituent assembly. “To win the assembly election, all the communist forces must unite,” Tuladhar said.

CP Mainali of the CPN-ML floated the idea that the CPN-UML and Maoists could share 35 per cent seats each while other communist parties could contest in the rest 30 per cent.