PM Prachanda goes berserk: Threatens to bring thousands of Maoist cadres to the streets

PM Prachanda and his war-era Maoist colleagues are making one after another aggressive statements following the Supreme Court's order to take writ petition against him for deaths during Maoist insurgency.

NL Today

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Kathmandu: Prime Minister and chairperson of CPN (Maoist-Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday threatened to bring thousands of Maoist cadres to the streets to consolidate the strength of the Maoist party. 

Addressing a program in the capital Kathmandu on Sunday, Dahal said that the time has come for all Maoists to be united and come to the streets. 

“Once thousands of Maoists come together on the streets, Maoists will again secure the victory,” he said. “I request all friends to consider it seriously.”

He rued the multiple splits in Maoist party since it came to peaceful politics in 2006. Though we fought together we got divided into various factions after the peace process, he said. “It’s time for us to become a bigger entity again and move forward.”

The PM’s statement comes in the wake of Nepal’s Supreme Court order that allows the registration of writ petition against him for deaths during Nepal’s decade-long insurgency. The Maoist chair in January 2020 had said he would take the responsibility for the killings of 5,000 people during the conflict, not all of 17,000 deaths. 

Following his remark, advocates Gyanendra Aaran and Kalyan Budhathoki had attempted to file separate writ petitions at the Supreme Court on 10 November 2022. The Supreme Court administration, however, had refused to register the petition, claiming that the issue was related to transitional justice and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was dealing with the cases.

The Supreme Court’s new order, however, indicates that the issue is now considered under the jurisdiction of the court. Observers say that Dahal is trying to divert people’s attention by threatening to mobilize his cadres on the streets.

Following the order of the court, Maoist leaders have been issuing veiled threats against those seeking accountability of Maoist chair for war-era crimes.