Nepal opposition aims to dislodge Maoist-led govt

Kathmandu: Main opposition party Nepali Congress Tuesday said it would organise a grand protest rally here on November 9 to dislodge Maoist-led government if Premier Baburam Bhattarai did not resign to pave way for a national consensus administration.

Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala said the rally, coinciding with the 97th birth anniversary of veteran democratic leader Ganesh Man Sigh, who led the 1990 Peoples movement that restored multiparty democracy, is aimed at mounting pressure on Bhattarai`s caretaker government. "We will launch massive protests starting from November to dislodge Bhattarai led government, if he did not step down paving way to forge national consensus," Koirala said at a tea reception organised to mark Vijaya Dashami, Deepawali and Chhath festivals. The Maoists are trying to impose totalitarian rule in the country, which Nepali Congress can never accept, Koirala said. He said his party will launch agitation to protect democratic rights and welfare of the people as the Maoists have been deceiving the people from time to time. Meanwhile, top leaders of Nepali Congress and CPN-UML today hold discussion to find out ways to dislodge the caretaker government. During the meeting the leaders of the two parties discussed the current political situation and common programme to exert pressure against the government, Nepali Congress general secretary Prakash Man Singh said. The meeting was attended by Koirala and CPN-UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal. The both parties have made their common view that the caretaker government should not operate through ordinances in the absence of Parliament and not to allow the government to bring new budget without forging consensus with the opposition, he said. Only a national consensus government has the right to bring new budget, he pointed out. The government would face fund crunch if it failed to bring new budget by November end. The Nepali Congress has recently made a decision to go for a fresh election to draft the new constitution instead of reinstating the Constituent Assembly. PTI