33 PARTIES OPPOSING ELECTIONS CALL FOR NEPAL BANDH SUNDAY Kathmandu, 15 June: The political forces, which are opposing the announcement of the date for Constituent Assembly polls, have announced a nationwide general strike on Sunday. This comes a day after the government announced that it will conduct the polls on November 19, The Himalayan Times reports.. Today, cadres of the Mohan Baidhya-led CPN-Maoist, Federal Democratic Front Nepal, and Federal Socialist Party marched through the streets of Kathmandu, concluding the march at Shanti Batika. Addressing the gathering, CPN-M Vice-Chairman CP Gajurel warned that the agitating parties will foil the government’s attempt to hold CA polls. He warned that agitating parties will launch a wave of anti-government protests and form their own government from the street if the government does not withdraw the poll date announcement. “We will not let the polls happen without scrapping of the 25-point presidential decree and dissolution of the current apolitical government,” he said. Gajurel said the four forces — the Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the United Democratic Madhesi Front — sabotaged the last CA and that the new CA will meet the same fate if the country goes to the polls in the existing situation. “CA polls are only a farce. We should have no illusion that the four forces will give us a new constitution,” he said. FDF-N Representative Ram Sahay Yadav said it is meaningless to hold polls without retaining the 60 per cent proportional representation ratio and ensuring representation on the basis of population. FSP representative Norsang Sherpa said the three agitating forces will fight together against the monopoly of the government and the four forces. “We cannot tolerate the government’s attempt to isolate us,” he added. Coordinator of CPN(Maoist), Matrika Prasad Yadav, accused the government of creating terror in the name of CA polls and appealed to people to fight it. The agitating three forces will organise corner meetings in 20 places of the Kathmandu valley tomorrow, said Pasang Sherpa, member of the presidium of the Social Democratic Party. He said they will announce further protests after Sunday’s strike. Sherpa said FSP was reluctant to go for a strong movement in the morning but later joined them. FSP Vice-Chairman Rizwan Ansari told THT that they were ready to join movement with the CPN-M and FDF-N on the basis of common concerns. He said FSP wants strength of the past CA (601 seats) and 60 per cent PR ratio retained. Nnnn DEMAND CONTINUES FOR RESIGNATION OF CHAIRMAN REGMI AS CJ Kathmandu, 15 June: The civil society today organised its one-day conference during which it demanded resignation of Chairman of the interim election government Khil Raj Regmi as chief justice to maintain independence of judiciary as per the principle of separation of powers, The Himalayan Times reports.. Rights activists and representatives of NGOs and professional organisations from across the country took part in the conference. They also drew the government’s attention to its decision to appoint those in the constitutional bodies who were implicated in suppressing the Jana Aandolan II. A 12-point declaration issued at the end of the conference also demanded that the government and political parties prepare grounds to hold elections of the local bodies, which have remained non-functional in the absence of elected representatives for the last 15 years. It has also asked the government to formulate Social Development Act and national policies to regulate the non-governmental organisations. The declaration has opposed the latest provision that requires the NGOs to register such organisations for VAT while submitting proposals in the governmental and other projects to be carried out by the government. Sarmila Karki, Chairperson of the NGO Federation, said that there is no need for NGOs to register for VAT as they have already acquired the PAN (permanent Account Number). nnnn