Published 12:13 IST, February 10th 2021
In Nepal, Prachanda seeks India & China's help against Oli's move to dissolve Parliament
'Prachanda' said that his party has appealed to the international community to extend support against PM Oli's "unconstitutional" to dissolve Parliament.
- World News
- 3 min read
Chairperson of the Nepal Communist Party's splinter faction and former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' said on Tuesday that his party has appealed to the international community, including India and China, to extend support to its ongoing struggle against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's "unconstitutional and undemocratic move" to dissolve Parliament.
'We seek support from the international community'
"The House of Representatives must be reinstated if we are to consolidate federalism and democracy and take the peace process to the logical conclusion," Prachanda said during an interaction with a select group of international media representatives based in Kathmandu, according to a report by PTI.
"I believe that the Supreme Court would not endorse PM KP Sharma Oli's unconstitutional and undemocratic move to dissolve the House of Representatives," he said ahead of his faction's massive protest rally in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
"We have conveyed to the international community that Oli's move has resulted in the demise of democracy and we seek support from the international community including India, China, European Union and the US to protect hard-earned federalism and democracy," said Prachanda.
Nepal plunged into a political crisis on December 20 after Oli, in a surprise move, dissolved the House of Representatives, amidst a tussle for power with Prachanda. His move to dissolve the 275-member House sparked protests from a large section of the NCP led by Prachanda, also a co-chair of the ruling party.
India has described Oli's sudden decision to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh elections as an "internal matter" that is for the country to decide as per its democratic processes.
However, China sent a four-member high-level delegation to Nepal in December to prevent a split within the ruling party. The team - led by a Vice-minister of the Chinese Communist Party, Guo Yezhou - held separate meetings with several top NCP leaders before returning home without much success in its mission.
China's request to political parties in Nepal
Earlier this week, China again urged Nepali political parties to shelve differences and maintain unity and stability in Nepal for its own development and prosperity. According to a press statement issued by China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday, in the context of a recent telephonic conversation between Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that both the ministers exchanged views on Nepal’s domestic political situation, besides extending Covid-19 vaccine cooperation.
On Friday, Gyawali and Wang held a telephonic conversation where the Chinese minister, according to a statement by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that China would provide 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Nepal on a grant basis, The Kathmandu Post reported. The Foreign Ministry statement, however, was silent on the discussion over the recent political situation in Nepal.
Updated 12:13 IST, February 10th 2021