The petty dispute between ruling CPN and the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) over inauguration of a short bridge has got nastier on Thursday with Senior Leader of NC Ram Chandra Paudel, who was arrested in his home district Tanahun on charge of violating prohibitory orders on Wednesday, pointing Prime Minister (PM) and CPN Chairman KP Sharma Oli was jailed for murder during the Panchayat regime.
Inaugurating the bridge over Buldi connecting Talghare and Dumsi in Vyas a day after being arrested while going to inaugurate the bridge, he took a swipe at the ruling party saying communists can never become democratic. "Who says Oli was in jail while fighting for democracy? He was jailed for murdering individuals. He did not stay in jail for conscience like Ram Chandra Paudel did," Paudel fumed. "The Jhapa incident happened in rage. Was that for democracy? I don't believe so. Let KP Oli speak in front of me."
He pointed that Oli, who talks about nationalism recently, talked for three hours in Baluwatar with chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India. "I presumed KP Oli has mended ways. But there are no signs of that. Communists can never become democratic."
Paudel was arrested while going to inaugurate the bridge over Buldi connecting Talghare and Dumsi in Vyas on Wednesday and kept in police custody for three hours before being released. .
Paudel was scheduled to inaugurate the bridge Wednesday afternoon but ruling CPN and its youth wing organized a motorcycle rally and demonstrated at around 11 protesting that he should not inaugurate the bridge constructed with federal budget. The ruling party insisted that its federal lawmaker Krishna Kumar Shrestha should inaugurate the bridge instead of Paudel.
The administration then announced prohibitory orders until six in the evening fearing clash between cadres of NC and CPN.
Paudel was arrested from Talghare in Vyas municipality 1 after he moved toward the bridge for inauguration. "He breached the security cordon. We have taken him under control for violating prohibitory orders and kept him at the District Police Office," Chief District Officer of Tanahu Sagar Acharya had told Setopati.
CDO Acharya claimed that Paudel was arrested considering security threats to him.
