KATHMANDU: The CPN-UML has announced a series of protests and programs in response to the arrest of party chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
The decision was made during a secretariat meeting held on Tuesday at the party’s central office in Chyasal, Lalitpur, chaired by Vice Chair Rambahadur Thapa Badal.
Secretary Mahesh Basnet said the meeting condemned Oli’s arrest and decided to proceed with organized protest programs. The arrests of Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak in Bhaktapur last Saturday, shortly after Balen Shah assumed office, were described by UML as vindictive and politically motivated.
The party also alleged that the government deployed police to suppress peaceful protests organized in opposition to these arrests.
UML has planned a massive protest in the federal capital, Kathmandu, on April 25. Prior to this, district-level mobilizations will be carried out up to April 8.
Additional protest programs include:
- Organizing large-scale district-level gatherings until April 8.
- Conducting protests across all municipalities on April 11.
- Holding ward-level assemblies on April 16.
- Demonstrations in provincial capitals on April 20.
- Nationwide participation of student and professional organizations to support party-led protests. A meeting of mass organizations is scheduled at 11 a.m. on April 1 at the party office.
- Vice Chair Raghuji Pant, Deputy Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai, and central member Min Bahadur Shahi have been tasked with organizing multi-party citizen dialogues.
- Parliamentary coordination and strategic presentation responsibilities have been assigned to Vice Chair Rambahadur Thapa Badal and Secretary Padma Aryal. A parliamentary party meeting will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at the party office.
- A central committee meeting will be called immediately to finalize additional protest programs.
These measures indicate UML’s coordinated approach to highlight what it perceives as politically motivated arrests and government overreach.
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