Birgunj, August 28

Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal and Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal cadres protested while senior CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal was taking part in door-to-door campaign for the party’s election publicity programme for the third phase of civic polls in Birgunj.

Following the protest, Nepal was forced to call off the campaign.

RJP-N and FSF-N cadres had protested against Nepal saying that the CPN-UML was an anti-Madhesi party. “People protested as they could not tolerate the UML’s stance against Madhes and Madhesi people during the Tarai agitation,” RJP-N Secretary Shiv Patel said.

Nepal had reached Murli in Birgunj with the UML mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates Basruddin Ansari

and Sophiya Acharya of Birgunj Metropolis for election publicity.

Eyewitnesses said Nepal had returned in his vehicle after a large number of people shouted slogans against the UML in the area.

UML mayoral candidate Ansari, however, refuted the protest against Nepal and his party. “We carried out normal door-to-door campaigning at Murli and returned in the morning,” Ansari added.

SP Sudip Giri at district police office, Parsa, said that he had no knowledge about the protest against Nepal and the UML. “We were informed that Nepal was at his party leader’s house for a meal in Murli. But, we had no idea about his participation in door-to-door campaigning,” SP Giri added.