Demonstrators outside Baluwatar have a message to leaders
While the leaders at the Baluwatar summit were knuckling down to determine the course of Nepalese politics Thursday, ordinary people and pressure groups were on the streets to pressure the leaders to bring the talks to a logical conclusion without further delay.
On Thursday, streets around the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar witnessed hundreds of people chanting slogans demanding concrete decisions from the parley on political issues. As the meeting went on inside heavily-guarded Baluwatar, the demonstrators were tirelessly demanding that the meeting announce the date for the constituent assembly.
The sloganeering started even before the summit meeting, which was later postponed for Sunday, began. Civil society activists, human rights workers, landless people, Maoist victims, relatives of the citizens disappeared by the state and the members of different Maoist-affiliated sister organisations displayed flags, placards and banners that read “Make summit talks successful,” “Nationalise the King’s properties” etc.
“Country can not afford another failed talks,” said one demostrator, adding, “We need to keep on pressuring the leaders to do serious work out on political issues.”
The sloganeering was colourful: few seated, some standing, while other running with flags and placards. Some took time to criticise the government, the King and the seven parties and sympathise the sincere service of the police through songs and dances.
The Maoist victims and Maoist cadres nearly clashed. Over hundred police personnel had to cordon the Maoist victims to avoid possible confrontation.
Most demonstrators belonged to Maoist-supported ethnic organisations. While few Maoist leaders including Hishila Yami even managed to address the mass while Lekh Nath Neupane, the president of All Nepal National Independent Student Union (Revolutionary), was seen encouraging the young people for demonstrations.
Not only at Baluwatar, demonstrations were organised in many parts of the country on that day and most of the rallies were called by the Maoists themselves or by their supporters. Leaders of few other political parties and civil society activists also joined in the rallies in some places.
There were reports of “pressure rallies” in Dolakha, Kavre, Dharan, Rajbiraj, Sindhuli, Panchthar, Nuwakot, Biratnagar, Baglung, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Pokhara, Dolakha, Makawanpur and Janakpur.
They demanded nationalisation of royal properties and a republic. They also wished for success of the summit talks for establishment of lasting peace in the country. In Pokhara, local people took out a candle rally, praying for a good future of Nepal and Nepalese.
While demostrators begun to swarm streets to put pressure on the seven parties and the Maoists to reach an agreement, leaders said they were more hopeful that the next round of talks would find a logical conclusion.
“Talks have ended on a upbeat note and the participants are all moving ahead for a significant conclusion,” Home Minister and coordinator of the government talks team Krishna Prasad Sitaula told reporters at a press conference after the talks.
Maoist talks team coordinator Krishna Bahadur Mahara also expressed satisfaction with the progress in the Baluwatar talks. He said talks were taking time because they were moving towards what he said a “historic decision” as the government side had hinted at taking a step forward.
As all major issues remain intertwined, a package agreement has to be reached, according to the top leaders. The political package will settle issues like interim government, arms management, interim legislature, the position of the king and process of constituent assembly election slated for mid June next year.
Personal representative of UN Secretary-General for peace process in Nepal, Ian Martin, has already asked the parties to take concrete political decision so that it would be easier for the UN expert team to start its works. Most of the members of the UN team have arrived and the team is expected to begin its works very soon. The frequent meeting of the UN team with the party top brass in recent days have also pressurised the parties to reach an agreement at the earliest.
Hopes are high this time around. The popular belief at the moment is that whatever decisions will come out of the summit talks will be in favour of the nation and the sovereign people. Let the hopes not die down.
Published in Nepalnews.com