Maoists get ready to shutdown Nepal for three days
Nepal is bracing itself for a difficult week ahead as Maoists plan to clamp a shutdown across the Himalayan nation for three days beginning December 20.
Nepal is bracing itself for a difficult week ahead as Maoists plan to clamp a shutdown across the Himalayan nation for three days beginning December 20.
The move by Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and its associated organizations’ follows declaration of 13 autonomous states on their own by the former rebels.
“There is no change in our plans and we are going ahead with the three-day general strike to press for restoration of civilian supremacy,” Dinanath Sharma, UCPN (Maoist) spokesperson told HindustanTimes.
The strike is expected to cripple normal life as vehicles would not be allowed to ply and educational institutions, banks, government offices and industries will be forced to down shutters.
Essential services like ambulances and vehicles belonging to media persons would be allowed to operate. “Hospitals and offices of media houses would not come under purview of the strike,” he said.
Sharma informed that thousands UCPN (Maoist) cadres across the country would stage “peaceful demonstrations” outside government offices and ministries and block roads to ensure that the strike is a success.
The Maoists had earlier enforced a shutdown across the country on December 6 following the death of five persons in a clash between police and landless squatters at Kailali.
According to reports, the government is getting ready to prevent any untoward incident during the strike. Home Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal held a long meeting with officials on Friday, but details were not available.
Despite hectic parleys between leaders of the three major parties to end the present political deadlock, nothing fruitful has emerged yet. Efforts to persuade Maoists to call off the strike have also not met with any success.
On Thursday, UCPN (Maoist) vice-chairman Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ stated that there has been a breakdown in the talks with the ruling Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (UML) to break the impasse.
Nepal has been witnessing political turmoil since May after the Maoist-led government stepped down from office. It has affected functioning of the parliament and also the process to draft a new constitution.
