SIRAHA, APRIL 7
CPN-Maoist Centre Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal has described the upcoming election as special and asked the public not to take it for granted.
Speaking at the unveiling of martyr Ram Pratap Sah's statue in Mirchaiya, Siraha, today, Dahal described the polls as a campaign to safeguard the rights gained so far and fight for further rights.
"Lately, the so-called royalists are banding together. While the intention of the supporters of monarchy is no secret to us, there are some worrying signs of shoulder-rubbing between the royalists and the KP Oli-led CPN-UML, the party that was involved in dissolving the House not once, but twice," said the Maoist party chief, speaking of the threat against the constitution.
"The increasing closeness between supporters of the defunct monarchy and a political party that was up to killing the constitution and subverting our achievements is really concerning," the ruling coalition leader said, adding that the upcoming election will be a major battle against reactionary forces to safeguard the nation and its achievements thus far.
"The upcoming poll is definitely not an ordinary election; it's a battle between progressive and regressive forces, between justice and injustice, and between those who are up for fighting for more rights for the Madhesi and other oppressed groups and those who are dead set to take back the rights the people have got," the former revolutionary leader observed.
Dahal also reminded of the huge sacrifice that he and his party had made to arrive to the present day, and also lamented the attack his party and he as its leader have faced lately. "I am still a big stumbling block for the reactionary forces, that is why they have given themselves up to abusing and humiliating me," he said.
Once again, Dahal came down on UML supremo Oli and accused him of being against Madhes.
"UML, particularly its chairperson Oli, is against Madhes, and it's obvious that the citizenship bill couldn't make it through the Parliament, just because of Oli," he said. "It's sad that the children of those who have citizenship certificate cannot get the rights for themselves,' he said, adding that the citizenship bill would soon be ratified by the House.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 8, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
