Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, January 24

The five agitating parties will decide their anti-regression strategy and strategy for fresh protests and decisive programmes to kick off by April. On Sunday, a meeting in this regard is being hosted by the CPN-UML at its party office, Balkhu.

The Sunday meeting will also discuss moves on the future course of agitation. A leader belonging to one of the agitating parties told this daily that they would be compelled to resort to "different moves" if the King continued to be an active monarch. "Active monarchy is not acceptable to us, and if the King sticks to it the parties will have no alternative but to support the street campaign by youth and students," he said.

Bharat Mohan Adhikari of the CPN-UML, however, clarified that Sunday’s meeting will basically chalk out the future programmes and define the nature of the parties’ movement against "regression."

Under pressure from student factions, party cadres and the three smaller allies - Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party, Janamorcha Nepal and Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi) - to go in for a decisive struggle, the two bigger parties - Nepali Congress and UML - are likely to come to a decision on their stand regarding the ongoing youth and students’ movement. "The bigger parties should make clear their stand on the students’ street campaign," Rajendra Mahato of Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi) told this daily.

The parties will also finalise the organisation of a protest programme on January 30 at Sahid Gate to coincide with Martyrs’ Day; protest rallies and programmes in five different places on February 7 as well as nationwide protest rallies and programmes on February 9, and a protest meeting on February 19 in Kathmandu.