Kathmandu, November 4
At a time when people of Janakpur were busy making preparations for Chhath and for felicitation of India’s President Pranab Mukherjee, the CPN-UML, which some sections of the society regard as an anti-Madhesh force, organised a mass gathering in Janakpur on Thursday. The gathering marked the beginning of the party’s four-month-long rejuvenation campaign in Province 2.
Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel and another former PM Jhalanath Khanal, Deputy General Secretary Ghanashyam Bhusal, party leaders Satyanarayan Mandal, Shatrughna Mahato, Banshidhar Mishra, Nagendra Chaudhary and secretary trio Pradip Gyawali, Gokarna Bista and Yogesh Bhattarai attended the programme organised to exchange Chhath and Dipawali greetings.
Nepal addressed the gathering in Maithili, Bhojpuri and Bajji languages, whereas Pokharel spoke in Maithili at the programme, which is part of the main opposition’s four-month-long campaign aimed at strengthening the party’s organisational base at Province 2.
After the gathering, party Secretary and chief of the party’s Publicity Department, Yogesh Bhattarai, told Onlinekhabar: Our programme in Janakpur was better than expected. Certain sections had spread rumours that popular support for the UML has gone down in Madhesh.
Elections will give a fitting reply to these rumours.
Referring to the gathering, UML lawmaker and politburo member Shatrughna Mahato said UML has started making a comeback, south of the Highway (East-West Highway).
On Friday, Yogesh Bhattarai reached Birgunj from Janakpur. Speaking at a press conference, he called the Nepali Congress not to act as a lackey of suspended CIAA Chief Commissioner Lokman Singh Karki.
He added that the (Prachanda-led government) had, as of now, not held consultations with his party about Constitution amendment.
In principle, the UML is not against Charter amendment, he said, adding that the party will come up with its stance once the model of amendment comes out.
