BUTWAL, JANUARY 28
Former prime minister and Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal has accused Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of trying to impose tyranny in the country by subverting democracy.
"Lumbini has a history of launching successful struggles for democracy and republicanism. It has to launch another struggle now against PM Oli, who is up for imposing tyranny on us by killing democracy," Dahal said, speaking at a protest meeting organised by his supporters in Butwal. "Don't think that we're here to protest against KP Oli. We're here to appeal to you to protect democracy and the constitution, something for which we have made significant sacrifices," Dahal said.
On a different note, the NCP leader said he had engaged in a dispute with Co-chair Oli following the House dissolution and expressed hope that the court would reinstate the Parliament.
"We believe that the court will restore the Parliament. If that doesn't happen, we will have no option but to turn to the people and form a government through street struggle," Dahal said.
Speaking on the occasion, senior NCP leader Madhav Kumar Nepal accused Oli of speaking nonsense and irritating everyone, from journalists, legal eagles, civil society leaders and even his own Cabinet ministers and supporters.
Further, Nepal claimed that the group led by him and Dahal was legitimate and they would retain the party flag and election symbol.
Various other leaders, including Yubaraj Gyawali, Barshaman Pun, Ghanashyam Bhusal and Chakrapani Khanal, among others, criticised the working style of PM Oli.
The Dahal-Nepal faction of the NCP has been organising protest programmes across the nation taking exception to the House dissolution done in an unconstitutional way by KP Oli, who led a majority government.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 29, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.