Kathmandu, January 4:

A meeting of high-level coordination committee of the seven-party alliance (SPA), held at the CPN-UML’s central office, Balkhu, decided to hold joint rallies in seven places across the country to give the message to the people that the CA election will be held in mid-April.

UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal chaired today’s meeting. The CPN-Maoist will chair the next meeting, in which the party will come up with a draft proposal of jurisdiction of the alliance’s coordination committee.

According to a joint press statement of the SPA, issued at the end of the meeting, the Nepali Congress will hold a rally in the capital on January 14, UML in Biratnagar on January 19, Nepal Sadbhavana Party in Bhairahawa on January 21, CPN-Maoist in Dhangadi on January 24, Janamorcha Nepal in Janakpur on January 26, Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party in Nepalgunj on January 28 and the United Left Front in Birgunj on January 30.

The statement said that senior leaders of the alliance will address the joint rallies to create conducive environment for the election. The leaders also vowed to leave no stone unturned to implement the 23-point accord. The alliance partners and the government will also hold bilateral and multilateral talks with the disgruntled and agitating factions to persuade them to take part in the thrice put off polls.

Civil society representatives today accused the seven parties of not keeping their commitment to the 23-point agreement. Speaking at a programme organised by the Kaski chapter of the National Election Commission Monitoring Committee on the necessity of holding the Constituent Assembly polls, they accused the seven parties of putting a spanner in the works by resorting to wrangling. Speakers said the polls should be held by April. Nepal Bar Association central president Mukund Sharma urged seven parties to reach a consensus for the sure and smooth holding of the CA polls.

INSEC central western region chief Madhu Panthi asked the seven parties to announce the CA poll date at the earliest and create an atmosphere for polls. Advocate Tilak Acharya accused the party leaders of cooling their haunches in Parliament and chewing away at the perks and stipends provided them for nothing. He added the government had impinged on the people’s right by increasing the number of seats in Parliament to 601.

CPN-UML Gandaki zonal secretary Khag Raj Adhikari accused the NC and Maoists of spiking the CA polls twice and added that if these two parties tried the same stunt a third time they would be taken to task by the people. Nepali Congress Kaski chairman Sobhit Bahadur Adhikari said no one would attempt to defer the CA polls again. Viswa Lamichhane of the CPN-Maoist said his party was all for the polls.