RPP-Nepal condemns attack



RPP-Nepal president Rabindra Nath Sharma (File Photo)

Terming the attack against its leaders and cadres in Pokhara on Sunday as 'pre-meditated,' Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP-Nepal) has said the attack has raised question on whether the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections can be held in free, fair and fearless environment.

A day after its western regional meeting Pokhara was disrupted by student activists, RPP-Nepal president Rabindra Nath Sharma, addressing a press meet in the capital on Monday, said, "It is a blatant attack against democracy, human rights and fundamental rights." The attack had taken place on the day of International Human Rights Day.

"This demonstrates that they believe in Might is Right. They seem to want to impose their ideology and thinking on all others," Sharma said, adding that his party RPP-Nepal will not budge from its stance due to such attacks.

According to Sharma, student activists – 99 percent of whom constituted members of Maoist-affiliated union and one member of Congress-affiliated union – vandalized their meeting venue and injured a few.

"What leads me to claim that the attack was pre-meditated is the fact that they came along with media crew whom they must have pre-informed," Sharma said.

The student activists claimed that they could not let the pro-monarchists organize the meeting.

Sharma defended his party's stance saying, "Our party believes that some form of monarchy – whether it be symbolic or decorative - is essential for this country for two reasons. One, in the absence of the institution, extremists will prevail. Another, Hindu religious zealots could create problem in the absence of Hindu monarchy."

Sharma said that in Nepal, monarchy can survive only when the democratic forces are powerful and vice versa.

Countering allegations that he still harbored desires in favor of active monarchy, Sharma said, "I was one of the first persons who had opposed the October 4, 2002 steps by King Gyanendra and also the February 1, 2005 steps by him. Our party does not believe in active monarchy. And our ideology supporting symbolic monarchy should not be construed as meaning that we condone the actions taken by an individual King."

Sharma also said that he believes a strong democratic front is needed to balance off the growing strength of leftist and republicans. "And such a front must be led by Nepali Congress and no one else," he said. nepalnews.com sd December 11 06