Dr. Bhattarai warns third mass movement

Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, a senior Maoist leader has said that the Maoists would launch the third wave of mass movement if republic is not announced by the third week of May.

“We would stir the indefinite mass movement if the parliament does not announce republic by then”, Dr. Bhattarai said in a programme organised by Gorkha-Kathmandu Republican Forum on Saturday.

Responding to comments that announcement of republic through parliament could violate the constitutionally-stated provision (of deciding the fate of monarchy through the first meeting of elected CA), Dr. Bhattarai said that all the recent agreements including the interim constitution were the result of understanding among the political parties regarding how best to end the monarchy. And this can be altered to reach the goal, he indicated.

He said the Maoists were not attempting to forge unity among communist forces alone. "This will be a larger unity among leftists as well as other republican forces. We do not want to send the message that there will be polarisation between leftist and non-leftist forces," he said.

Dr. Bhattarai said, "This is not the time to go for polarisation between leftist and non leftist forces. Rather we want to go for polarisation between republican and non-republican forces."

Regarding the stance of Nepali Congress (NC) and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Dr. Bhattarai said NC will not survive if it does not embrace republic.