Withdrawl of autonomous state declaration 'not due to pressure'

KANTIPUR REPORT

PARSA, NOV 07 - Chairman of UCPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that his party did not withdraw the scheduled protest of declaring autonomous states in pressure.

Speaking at a party programme in Birgunj on Saturday, Dahal claimed Maoist postponed the scheduled protest programme due to the lack of adequate preparation for the same. He further said the party decided to declare autonomous states and state governments during their next phase of protest.

The former prime minister spent most of his time in criticising Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML. He also claimed that Maoist was the only party which was working for the rights of Madhesh and Madheshi people.

Defending Upendra Yadav and his party Madheshi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) time and again during his speech, Dahal termed other Madhesh-based parties as bubbles.

Without taking its name he alleged that India left no stone unturned to split MJF since it was supporting Maoist’s government then.

“Some elements threaten to split the MJF again if it continues its support to Maoist,” claimed Dahal, adding, “They are working their best to include MJF in the present government.”

He also blamed NC and UML for being the enemy of the Madheshi community. “They did not let pass the ordinance that the Maoist government introduced for the rights of Madheshi,” he said.

In another context, Dahal said that Maoist was never with the government’s threat to deploy army to suppress the protest. He also warned political parties not to take national army as their parental property.