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Bandh begins in Nepal

Nepal woke up to the New Year to deserted roads and closed markets and with fear as a two-day bandh called by nine Opposition parties crippled normal life in the world's only Hindu kingdom.

Taxis, private and commercial vehicles stayed off the roads from early morning. No commercial establishments were open as the New Year spirit was squashed by the bandh.

The bandh has been called by the Opposition parties, comprising mostly Communist groups, demanding the Girija Prasad Koirala government's resignation.

Till Sunday, the Opposition only wanted Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel to resign for the breakdown of law and order during last week's anti-Hrithik Roshan protests. At least seven people lost lives, several people were injured and property worth millions of rupees damaged in the protests.

"We will continue our agitation until the Koirala ministry resigns," Bamdev Gautam, leader of the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist, told rediff.com on Monday morning. He said the Koirala ministry has "no moral right to govern" as it has failed "on all fronts and disappointed Nepalis."

"The bandh is near total," he said. "All the markets are closed and no private vehicles are running. Government offices are open and some government vehicles are plying with police escort."

Most government officials and staff of some companies left their homes early in the morning, most of them by foot.

Hundreds of tourists, who have come to Kathmandu despite the ongoing stalemate, had to stay put in their hotels. The streets of Kathmandu looked forlorn, an unusual site in this beautiful city.

"Every shop is shut out of fear, not out of sympathy," said K D Vyas, former president of the Indian Citizens Association of Nepal, which represents Indians in Nepal.

Though there is "no anti-India sentiment among the common people of Nepal," he felt, "some vested interests are working to spread such a feeling."

"How could the Nepalis have hatred for India? Every second person here has his daughter or son there in India. Every third person comes to India for several of his needs including good treatment in the hospitals of Delhi," he said.

The two-day bandh took off despite vociferous demands by industry circles not to go ahead with it, as it had a crippling impact on the markets.

The Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other industry/tourism associations met almost every important Nepali leader in the last couple of days requesting that the bandh be cancelled.

The Kathmandu Post, the leading English daily in the kingdom, said in an editorial on Monday morning that the bandh 'could not have come at a worse time.'

The newspaper pointed out that there 'are enough elements on both sides of the Nepal-India border ever ready to fish in troubled waters. But what is distressing is that they may be succeeding in fuelling the fire by misguiding the simple-minded people.'

But Bamdev Gautam did not agree with these observations. "We brave bullets and police for our country," the Communist leader said. "If you are a proud Nepali citizen you will have to forgo some money, some time, some business to see that our country is safe and our self-dignity and security are not compromised."

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