Nepal opposition to hold ‘massive’ protest rally on Feb 28

PTI & EOI, KATHMANDU, 17 Feb 2015: Maoist-led opposition parties in Nepal will hold a protest rally in the capital next week to press the government over their demand of drafting the Constitution through consensus and ensure that it includes ethnic identity-based federal structure. The 30-party opposition alliance plans to gather 200,000 people in the capital on February 28 to give a "big jolt" to the Sushil Koirala-led government. 

"If the ruling parties do not halt the process of drafting the constitution through majority voting, then we will intensify our agitation in March," CPN-UM spokesperson Dinanath Sharma told media at the party's central office in the capital on Tuesday. 

"In the first phase of the agitation, we will launch mild programmes such as rally, sit-in and public meetings but if the government turns deaf ear towards our demands we will intensify the protest after February 28," he said. 

He, however, clarified that the protest programmes will be peaceful and within the boundary of the Interim Constitution. Nepal's ruling and opposition parties are sharply divided on key issues in the Constitution-drafting process including federal structure and forms of governance. PTI