FSPN announces protest programmes

FSPN announces protest programmes

KATHMANDU, JUL 29 -

The Ashok Rai-led Federal Socialist Party Nepal (FSPN) has announced ‘final protest’ from July 30, saying that the four major political parties did not address their five-point demands through talks.

FSPN leaders have accused the High-level Political Committee of undermining them and giving utmost priority to the Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist. They said they will continue their protests until their demands are addressed.

The leaders have clarified that they would not sit for negotiation with the government’s talks team as the it does not hold real power. Few rounds of talks between the two sides had ended inconclusively earlier. The leaders said they will organise rallies, sit-in protests and corner assemblies in all districts. They, however, said the protests are not aimed at disrupting the scheduled Constituent Assembly (CA) elections.

The party leaders also submitted a memorandum to President Ram Baran Yadav on Sunday, in which they stated that the four parties tried to bar them from joining the November election.

FSPN Chairman Ashok Rai said the four parties are refusing to negotiate with them as they want to put the blame of CA failure on his party.

The five-point demand of the party includes ending the four-party ‘political syndicate’ by terminating 11-point and 25-point agreements, organising all-party assembly to end the current stalemate, keeping 60:40 ratio of proportional to directly elected seats intact in the new CA and providing voting rights to Nepali diaspora.

Meanwhile, FSPN held a brief protest on Sunday accusing the President’s Office of barring them from sending written memorandum to the President.

“We were requesting the officials concerned for an appointment with the President since Thursday. However, they kept on ignoring our calls for various reasons. It’s a pity that country’s top office is being operated by such freaks,” said Rai.