Thaindian News

Kathmandu, May 1 (IANS) As tens of thousands of people in red T-shirts and red caps and waving the red flag of Nepal’s opposition Maoist party paralysed Kathmandu on May Day Saturday, ahead of an indefinite general strike called by the former guerrillas, their chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda once again trained his guns on India, blaming it for the prime minister’s refusal to quit.
“Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has begun talking of deploying the army (to suppress Maoist protests) only after he returned from Thimphu,” the former revolutionary said, referring to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, on the sidelines of the 16th SAARC Summit in Bhutan.

Nepal’s office had subsequently issued a statement, saying Singh had expressed faith that Kathmandu would see a new constitution under the leadership of the present government, a move that has angered the Maoists, who call the coalition government a “wooden puppet” manipulated by India.

Prachanda also flayed the ruling parties as gangsters, brokers, corrupt and royalists betraying Nepal to cling on to power.

He branded them Lhendup Dorjee, the first chief minister of Sikkim, the independent Buddhist kingdom that decided to merge with India in 1975.

Nepal still regards the merger as an act of annexation by India and blames Dorjee for selling out his country.

While the Maoists did not want to interfere in the internal matters of Nepal’s neighbouring countries or declare war on them, Prachanda said neither were they ready to brook any attempt to curb Nepal’s sovereignty and the right to self-determination.

Relations with India should be based on equality, he said, raising an old Maoist call. All unequal bilateral treaties should be abrogated, border disputes resolved and new diplomatic relations made on the basis of the new changes in Nepal.

“The age of bowing before foreign masters has ended,” he said amidst thunderous applause.

The fresh tirade against India comes even as the Indian ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood met the Maoist leaders and voiced concern at the growing anti-Indian rhetoric at Maoist public rallies.

Prachanda said his party was compelled to call an indefinite closure from Sunday to protect the peace process, the constituent assembly and new constitution which the ruling parties were conspiring to stifle.

Though security forces were put on high alert and nearly 15,000 personnel in riot gear deployed in major intersections after the government said it had seized large quantities of arms and explosives and feared violence, the massive Maoist meet ended peacefully without any untoward incident.

Embattled Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal addressed the nation at 6 p.m. asking the Maoists to call off the strike and begin dialogue for national consensus and cooperation.

Nepal rejected calls for his resignation, saying his government had majority in parliament and accused the Maoists of trying to oust him through street protests and creating a bad precedent.

Nepal’s refusal to quit deepens the crisis in Nepal with just 27 days left for the new constitutional deadline.

After may 28, parliament stands dissolved and the government will have no validity. The option is President’s rule and a state of emergency for six months.

“Our war will continue,” Maoist marchers cried while converging at the heart of the city from 18 major areas in the capital.

“The president’s unconstitutional step has to be revoked. Form a national government and ensure peace and a new constitution.”

Shops remained closed and transport disappeared as reports started coming in about police arresting nearly a dozen people with arms. The prime minister told UN officials he feared violence during the May Day rally.

“The strike will be peaceful,” Prachanda said. “We will continue it till our demands are met. We have the power to keep it up till that happens.”