Kathmandu, August 8:

Demanding an early implementation of the eight-point parties-Maoist agreement, especially the dissolution of the House and management of arms, representatives of different professional organisations staged a sit-in in front of the residence of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at Baluwatar this evening.

Braving rain, human right activists, language and ethnic right activists, teachers, singers, artists and journalists took part in the sit-in. Though the appointment with the Prime Minister was fixed at 5pm, the delegates had to wait for 25 minutes for a meeting with the PM.

Handing over the memorandum, the delegates told the Prime Minister that the civil society was not happy with the political development. They also accused the government of being regressive in nature and going against the spirit of the Jana Aandolan-II.

“We reminded the PM that the civil society had also played a crucial role in making the Jana Aandolan-II successful. We urged him to listen to our voices,” said Dr Devendra Raj Pandey, coordinator of the Citizens’ Movement for Democracy and Peace, the organiser of the sit-in, after meeting the PM.

He quoted PM Koirala as saying that “visible progress” will take place in the government-Maoist talks in two to three days. We reminded the PM that we want the eight-point agreement, especially the clauses on the dissolution of the House and arms management, immediately implemented so as to clear the way for holding the elections to a Constituent Assembly, he said.

Padma Ratna Tuladhar, another delegate, said he had told the PM on behalf of the civil society that the stance taken by the seven-party alliance on the issue of arms management was impractical. A delegate said the PM gave time to two businessmen while the delegation had to wait outside the lobby for a meeting.