By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Nepal’s Maoists Tuesday quit the government, announced boycott of the Nov 22 elections and decided on a “street revolt” to get rid of monarchy, as hundreds of their cadres began a march into capital Kathmandu burning effigies of King Gyanendra.
“We had to resort to a street movement because the other seven parties in the government are still carrying the carcass of monarchy on their shoulders,” senior rebel leader Baburam Bhattarai said at a mass meeting in the heart of the city Tuesday after the party’s four ministers tendered their resignation from the Girija Prasad Koirala government.
After 170 days in government, the Maoists quit the government Tuesday, blaming Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and foreign intervention – which primarily meant India – and announced the first phase of their protests that includes a three-day general strike and surrounding district administration offices nationwide on the day the candidates would register their names for the November election.
Bhattarai said his party would not heed the code of conduct enforced by the Election Commission from Tuesday. Nor would it follow the election schedule, which means an effective boycott of the election as well as active opposition.
After 1999, general elections could not be held due to Maoist opposition and now it seems history is to repeat itself on the eve of the crucial constituent assembly election where for the first time voters would choose between Nepal’s 238-year-old monarchy and a republic.
On Sep 30, when candidates register themselves, the rebels have announced they would encircle the district administration offices. It would be followed by a three-day general strike from Oct 4-6.
Though two of the bigger parties in the ruling alliance, deposed prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress (Democratic) and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, tried to bring about a last-minute compromise, the talks broke down, as Koirala refused to talk to the Maoists.
“He woke from his sleep to speak for 10-15 minutes and then went off to sleep again,” an angry Bhattarai said. “Our ministers waited for nearly two hours to submit their resignations to him.”
The four snubbed Maoist ministers finally gave their resignations to Koirala’s deputy, Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel.
“We have given our resignation,” Maoist spokesperson and Information and Communications Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara told the media after walking out of a meeting held at Koirala’s residence. “We have quit because there was no positive response to our 22 demands.”
Besides Mahara, the other three are Physical Planning and Works Minister Hisila Yami, Local Development Minister Dev Gurung, and Women, Children and Social Welfare Minister Khadga Bahadur B.K.
It was on the cards that the talks would fail after Koirala, backed by the international community, Monday refused to abolish monarchy before the election.
He also did not agree to change the mixed electoral system for the November election.
The Maoists last month came up with 22 demands, including scrapping Nepal’s 238-year-old monarchy through a parliamentary decree and adopting a fully representational electoral system.
These are their major demands, though they are also asking for integration of their People’s Liberation Army with the Nepal Army, a proposal regarded with wariness by the army, their traditional foe.
The Koirala government was also asked to disclose the whereabouts of over 1,000 people missing in the course of the 10-year “People’s War”, pay compensation to their families and provide support to the people who became disabled while taking part in the pro-democracy movement that ousted King Gyanendra’s 15-month regime.
Torch rallies began in Chitwan, Nalawparasi and Rupandehi in the south as well as Parbat where Maoists began “performing the last rites of monarchy”.
From Wednesday to Friday, they will go from door to door, taking their cause and grievances to the people.
For six days from Sep 29, they will launch an “exposure” campaign, going public with details about people they say have robbed the national exchequer, including those indicted by a commission set up to probe the misdeeds of the royal regime.
Fear and tension as the fate of the election remained uncertain.
Janadesh, the mouthpiece of the Maoists, Tuesday indicated that if the government failed to declare Nepal a republic, the election would not be held.