Action if polls boycott turns violent: Minister Poudel

KATHMANDU, NOV 04 -

Minister for Information and Communication Madhav Prasad Poudel have warned that the government will take action if the polls boycott was carried out in an unlawful manner.

Speaking at an interaction programme at Reporters Club in the Capital, Minister Poudel said, "Boycotting election in a peaceful way is a right. The government will respect it and will not do anything if it is done in a lawful manner. But if the boycott breaches any law, government will take action against such activities."

Saying that the Mohan Baidhya-led CPN-Maoist is a responsible party of the country, Poudel expressed his belief that it will not carry out any activities that will hamper the November election s. He also informed that the party's leaders, during informal talks with the government, have assured that their boycott will be peaceful.

Poudel also said that election dates will also not be deferred at any cost. "Election has come across a long process and election fever has gripped the country, dates will not be deferred," he said.

Minister Poudel said political parties had used thousands of vehicles during election campaign and claimed that it was not appropriate to raise questions about election security citing attack on few of them. He said that government will create a fear-free environment for the voters to cast their votes and return home.