The Nepal Maoists on Friday announced protest plans to lay siege to the capital, including its only international airport and disrupt the movement of traffic along highways in a bid to step up pressure on the government to accept its mistake in reinstating the army chief in May.
Baburam Bhattarai, the deputy leader of UCPN-Maoist, said the government has two more days for negotiations before the launch of agitation on November 1.
The former rebels want to force the government to correct the President’s controversial decision to reinstate General Rukmangad Katawal, who has now retired.
The two key demands of the Maoists are to establish “civilian supremacy” by forcing the government to put President Ram Baran Yadav’s decision to reinstate former army chief for discussion in Parliament and rectify the move by asking him to apologise for the step, Mr. Bhattarai told reporters here.
He said the protest will start with a rally in Kathmandu on November 1, followed by picketing of all government offices at village and district level.
Mr. Bhattarai, the former finance minister in the Prachanda-led government, said the largest protest would come on November 10, when they plan a blockade of the capital, shutting the country’s only international airport and blocking all the highways to the capital.
The Maoists plan to declare autonomous regions across the country on November 9 and 13 as per their plan of state restructuring.
Claiming that some 2,00,000 people will be mobilised in Kathmandu on Nov 10, he assured that their two-week long protests will be peaceful.
