KATHMANDU: As tensions rise in the capital, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chair Rajendra Lingden has called on the government to not fear the party’s planned demonstration today, asserting that the protest will be both symbolic and peaceful, aimed at opposing what he calls the government’s autocratic tendencies.
Taking to Facebook, Lingden wrote, “It is a symbolic and peaceful protest against the government’s autocracy that says, ‘You say democracy, democracy, republic, but you only tell the people this’.”
He criticized efforts to limit public gatherings in the name of democracy, saying that restricting citizens from entering certain areas goes against the very principles the government claims to uphold.
Despite the Ministry of Home Affairs issuing a stern warning about entering restricted zones in Kathmandu, the RPP remains resolute. The party plans to march from three different locations across the city and converge at Bijuli Bazaar by 12 noon for a mass demonstration.
The Home Ministry has expressed serious concern, warning that any action violating the constitution or disturbing public order will not be tolerated. Authorities have indicated that violators will be held accountable under existing laws.
The RPP’s protest overlaps with the ongoing teachers’ movement, which has adjusted its daily schedule to clear the streets by noon in anticipation of the RPP rally. This convergence of multiple mass movements is intensifying political pressure on the government.
Comment