Kathmandu, June 3 :

Terming the Maoists’ House dissolution demand “irrelevant”, general secretary of the Nepali Congress (NC) Ram Chandra Poudel today said the Nepalis cannot be sovereign unless the Maoists dump their guns.

“Dissolution of the House is irrelevant until and unless another representative body is established,” Poudel said, urging the Maoists to speak the “language of responsibility” and urged the talks teams of both the sides to concentrate on creating a favourable environment for the elections to a Constituent Assembly (CA). “Next round of talks should focus on creating a secure and conducive environment for the CA elections,” Poudel said at an interaction organised here today by the Dhaulagiri-Kathmandu Samparka Manch.

He also asked the Maoist leaders to clarify whether the people can vote without fear. “In a loktantra, people should be free from fear. The people want to be free from fear of the Maoists. It is the duty of the Maoists to convince the people,” he said, adding: “People cannot be sovereign unless the Maoists dump their guns.”

The Minister of State for Environment, Science and Technology Man Bahadur Biswokarma said the government is committed to providing assistance to the families of the martyrs.