The offices of nine district committees of the Maoist party as well the Tharuwan and Seti-Mahakali state committees have been closed indefinitely. [break]
The disgruntled YCL members have felled a tree across the road just two kilometers from the Maoist Seventh Division at Talband to block vehicular movement and also cut power supply to the cantonment in an attempt to block the voluntary retirement process.
They have announced that they will boycott all party programs, prevent party central committee (CC) members from visiting the western region of the country and seize the vehicles and property of party leaders and PLA commanders.
Meanwhile, irate YCL members took over the vehicles of party leaders Lilamani Pokharel, Hari Bhakta Kandel and Maheshwar Gahatraj for two hours at Mahendranagar in Kanchanpur, Monday afternoon and released them only later.
Back in 2007, the party had picked out promising members of the PLA and formed the combative YCL in a bid to foment an urban insurrection for state capture.
"Two brigades of PLA personnel were sent out of the cantonments by the party leadership and PLA commanders to ensure the victory of the party during the CA elections," YCL central committee (CC) member Lalit Thapa said, adding, "The party had promised to treat us on par with those remaining in the cantonments, but it did not [keep its word]."
Thapa claimed that 363 PLA members including himself were taken out of their battalion and made members of the YCL.
"They assured us that it would make no difference even if we didn´t participate in the UNMIN verification process," he lamented, and said the YCL members were compelled to launch the protest after the party failed to live up to its word.
Just before sending their combatants into the cantonments in 2007, the Maoists had picked out the promising PLA personnel and directed them to work for the YCL with a view to fomenting an urban insurrection for state capture. The Maoists also rounded up local youths from across the country to fill up the cantonments.
Issuing a statement, the protestors have demanded PLA identity cards, rehabilitation for physically disabled YCL members, relief packages on par with the PLA, and integration into the Nepal Army (NA), among other things.
They said they will hold talks with any leader other than PLA chief Nanda Kishor Pun and the coordinator of the Special Committee, which is headed by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. The YCL members have also stated that they will launch an indefinite general strike in western Nepal from February 13.
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