JANAKPURDHAM: Chaos erupted at the Madhesh Province Chief Minister’s office on Monday as protesters assaulted staff following the sudden appointment of CPN-UML parliamentary leader Saroj Kumar Yadav as Chief Minister.
Leaders and activists from seven opposition parties, including Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist), CPN (Unified Socialist), LSP, Janamat Party, JSP, and Janata Unmukta Party, stormed the office, vandalizing furniture, flowerpots, and tables. Even the national flag was reportedly thrown in anger.
Some Nepal Police personnel on duty were pushed and jostled while trying to maintain order at the Provincial Assembly. The protests also spilled over to the province’s Home, Communication, and Law Ministry offices, which were temporarily blockaded by demonstrators.
The unrest follows Province Chief Sumitra Subedi Bhandari’s early-morning swearing-in of Yadav at a hotel in Bardibas, Mahottari, under Article 168 (3) of the Constitution, a move opposed by the seven-party alliance.
Comment