UML protest meets stiff resistance

BIRATNAGAR, Aug 10: The Morang chapter of the CPN (UML), which had announced a two-day strike in Biratnagar to protect Parshuram Basnet, the Morang chairman of Youth Force (YF), who has been accused of plotting an attack on murder-accused Abhishek Giri inside the court, withdrew its strike Wednesday after people rose in defiance and its own cadres withdrew support.



Peopled defied the strike in many parts of Morang, except for its district headquarters Biratnagar, forcing the Morang chapter of the CPN (UML) to call off its agitation halfway. [break]



However, Binod Dhakal, the Morang district chairman of the CPN (UML), said that they called off their strike to launch more stringent protests. “We have not ended our agitation,” Dhakal said. “We have put it off to prepare for a more powerful protest.”



According to Dhakal, they will organize a mass rally on Saturday, which will be attended by Youth Association Nepal (YAN) president Mahesh Basnet. “We will announce more protest programs thereafter,” Dhakal said.



Dhakal and Basnet both are hell-bent on forcing the local administration into dropping charges against Parshuram. Apparently at the behest of Parshuram, a group of hooligans had attacked Giri on the premises of the Morang district court on June 1. Parshuram has also been charged with a murder attempt on this correspondent. He has been absconding since.



Although Dhakal had personally instructed all the CPN (UML) cadres to actively enforce their strike, only a section of cadres, who are close to the CPN (UML) leader KP Oli, participated in the strike. Other cadres who are close to Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal refused to lend their support in enforcing the strike. The organization department of the CPN (UML) has even warned of actions against Dhakal for eroding people´s faith in the party by supporting the murder attempt-accused.



“He (Dhakal) has damaged the party´s image by rallying cadres behind a criminal,” the CPN (UML) organization Chief Ghanashyam Khatiwada said. “This is intolerable.” He even clarified that the strike was not called according to the party´s decision.



Despite objections within the party, the CPN (UML) cadres, mobilized by Dhakal, vandalized a medicine shop in Biratnagar-8. “I was working on my computer,” Mohan Adhikari, the owner of the vandalized Bachchu Medical Center, said. “Three persons hurled bricks into my shop.” Police had arrested the YF cadres Santosh Bantawa and Shekhar Khadka for enforcing the strike. They were released later.



Meanwhile, Parshuram has admitted that he, along with his family members and YF cadres, was involved in the attack on Giri on the court premises. In an article published in Sandesh daily, publication of which newspaper started after the attack on Giri, Parshu Ram has admitted this.

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