In a provocative statement, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli asked volunteers of the Yuva Sangh, the youth front of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, to rise and attack pro-monarchy elements “like a tiger”.
While addressing a meeting of the Yuva Sangh volunteers on Wednesday, PM Oli criticised the opposition for obstructing the proceedings of the House of Representatives and for opposing the dismissal of the country’s Electricity Authority chief, Kulman Ghising. Oli did not attend the house meeting and instead addressed the Yuva Sangh event to publicly condemn the opposition.
Welcoming Monarchy
The Prime Minister urged the youth leaders to realise their strength and “attack anyone trying to snatch away the rights that we fought for.” These remarks were made in the context of the ongoing movement to restore the monarchy in Nepal. Recently, the arrival of the ex-king, Gyanendra, in the city of Kathmandu, who was returning from Pokhran, created disruption in traffic and movement. On March 9, thousands of supporters of the monarchy gathered on the streets of the capital city to welcome the king.
CPN-UML chief whip Mahesh Bartaula, however, said that the Prime Minister will not be able to respond to the issues of the opposition in the parliament. While CPN-Maoist Centre chief and leader of the opposition, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, also said that the opposition will not let the house run until the Prime Minister gives a satisfactory reply to Ghising’s dismissal.