“You are wrong if you think that the weapons achieved by shedding so much blood, is handed over so easily,” said Dahal while speaking at Krishna Sen Ichchhuk Foundation in the capital. He said he would not lay down the flag of revolution and betray the people.[break]
The NC, backed by the UML and the Madhes-based parties, has put forward the precondition of immediate handing over of the party’s weapons to the state and change of guard at Singha Durbar if the CA is to see another extension of its term due to expire on Saturday.
But it is not easy for the Maoist chairman to hand over the weapons to the state at this juncture. The faction-ridden Maoist party has remained united in the stance that handing over of the weapons prior to the formulation of a “progressive constitution” amounts to surrender.
Dahal however said that the parties must save the CA from dissolution and conclude the peace process and constitution drafting. He alleged that some parties are hatching conspiracy to dissolve the CA.
In the function, Dahal also tried to assure the cadres that the party has not forgotten the dreams of the martyrs and aspirations of the people. Some leaders and cadres had posed hard-hitting questions to Dahal: “What happened to the people’s war and what are you doing to realize the dreams of the martyrs, the disappeared and the injured?”
Dahal however replied in a diplomatic manner: Talks table is another frontier of war, which is much difficult and challenging than the war fought by guns and bullets.
“We are engaged in another front of war, which is much more difficult than the previous war. We are not surrendering,” Dahal said. He came to the function leaving the three-party talks behind and joined the talks after the function was over. Party hardliners including Rishiraj Baral and Anil Sharma came down heavily on Dahal for preparing to hand over the weapons to the state.
Mohan Baidya, the leader of the party’s hard-line camp, appreciated Dahal for making commitment not to lay down the flag of revolution. “We asked him what has happened to the party’s ideals of revolution. But the chairman assured us that he would not deviate. I would like to thank him for that commitment,” he said.
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