KATHMANDU, SEP 23 - The Mohan Baidya -led 33-party alliancehas announced to prioritise protests against the Constituent Assembly election maintaining, however, that the doors for negotiation will be left open.
Addressing cadres and supporters at Khulamanch, leaders of the alliance accused the four parties of abruptly ending the dialogue under "external influence".
Leaders said that the four major parties unexpectedly backtracked on the agreement although they were positive about fulfilling their demands.
“We were hopeful that the President would do something to end the current political crisis. But he too couldn't withstand the same pressure foreign agents were exerting on the political leaders,” said Baidya.
Baidya said the dissident parties have garnered far better public support at the grassroots level than the major political forces that are still unable to launch their election campaigns. He warned the election candidates against campaigning by sidelining them.
Baidya said that his party is ready to resort to any means in order to foil the election. Denouncing the decision to deploy the Army during the polls, Baidya said the security forces should fight against the four parties which he claimed are operating under external control.
“Let them [major parties] know we still have an overwhelming public support across the country. Polls held by excluding us cannot be successful,” he warned. Addressing a mass, Baidya threatened to enforce a new constitution from the streets instead of relying on the "outdated" CA.
Fringe party leaders including CPN (United) General Secretary Pari Thapa, Federal Democratic National Forum General Secretary Khagendra Makhim and Pasang Thapa of the Social Democratic Party criticised the major parties for shunning talks while the CPN-Maoist had expressed commitment to contest the polls. They said the four parties were bent on isolating the Maoists by splitting their alliance.
Earlier in the day, cadres and supporters of the alliance took out rallies in the electoral constituencies of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur before converging at Khulamanch.
