A historic mass meeting was held at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on February 12, 2006 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of people’s war in Nepal which was organized by Nepalese People Right Protection Committee (NPRPC), India. More than 45 thousands protesters had participated in that mass meeting and demanding the established democratic republic of Nepal and end to autocratic monarchy. The masses of not only Nepalese but also Indian people had descended on Ramlila Maidan from over 150 towns of 22 different states. People all the way from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Punjab to North East had come to attend this rally. Women’s participation was most significant amongst the more than 45 thousands of Indian and Nepalese participants.
The meeting was chaired by Laxman Pant, President of NPRPC and conducted by D. P. Sapkota, general secretary of NPRPC. Speakers from various organizations and parties of Nepal and India: Mr. Tara Singh, Mr. Ishwor Chandra Gyanwali, popular revolutionary leader in India, Mr. Lekhnath Neupane, president of All Nepal National Independent Student Union (Revolutionary), popular student union among Nepalese student, Mr Shivaraj Gautam, president of All Nepal Peasant Association (Revolutionary), Mrs. Jayapuri Gharti, president of All Nepal Woman Association (Revolutionary), left intellectual Hari Roka, Congress leaders Balkrishna Pandey and journalist Shailesh Acharya spoke at there. All speakers emphasized on the democratic replubic and justify the people’s movement in Nepal. Indian speakers: G. N. Saibaba, JNU student union president Mona Das, journalist Anali Chaumadia were the guest speakers at the programme. There was unanimity amongst the prominent speakers on the major political question- that the end of feudalist monarchy era and establish democratic republic in Nepal. Extending Indian left parties’ continued support for the ongoing movement for ‘Loktantra’, meaning full democracy, were CPI-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechuri, Prakash Rao, Dr. Aparna etc. They condemned the present state repression in Nepal and urged on the improvement of unite of Nepalese people including Maoist revolutionary and seven parliamentary parties.
Renewed revolutionary poet from Andhra Pradesh, Gadar, sang progressive songs at that moment. In between the programme, revolutionary peoples artist team ‘Samana Sanskritik Parivar’ also performed Nepali songs.
On behalf of the seven parliamentary party alliance in Nepal, CPN-UML’s alternative CCM Chhabilal Biswokarma, addressed to the mass meeting and called for “much better and do-able” working alliance between the CPN (Maoist) and the seven parties to end the “autocratic era”.
“We want an end to autocratic monarchy and a new republic of Nepal,” said the NPRPC president Laxman Pant, hailing the 12-point understanding hammered out last November by CPN (Maoist) and the seven parliamentary parties alliance.
February 12th mass meeting is a first of its kind as revolutionary and democratic parties, individuals despite their differences in political lines came together to support people’s movement in Nepal thus showing the true international sprit.