KATHMANDU: The nine opposition parties that started their anti-government agitation demonstrations from Dailekh where journalist Dekendra Raj Thapa was murdered are organizing a mass meeting in Kathmandu this afternoon.

The leaders have said that today’s mass meeting is the last program of the first phase of the anti-government demonstration. The opposition parties including the CPN (UML) and NC have been saying that hitting street was a must against the current totalitarian Baburam Bhattarai-led government.

Top leaders of the opposition parties are scheduled to address the mass meeting at Khula Manch. The parties have expected participation of as high as 100,000 people in the rally. The mass meeting would begin at 1:00 this afternoon.

Currently, The parties have been staging rallies from different nook and cranny of the town. The traffic system has been affected in major chowks.

The opposition parties are planning for a mass meeting in the capital on Friday.  Similarly, the opposition parties are also organizing anti-government rallies in different cities across the country.

Tomorrow’s mass meeting is the last program of the first phase of the anti-government agitation launched by the opposition parties. The opposition parties are claiming to unseat the Baburam Bhattarai-led government through the street protest.

DAILEKH: As an attempt to show strength against the government and the ruling parties, the opposition parties are holding a mass meeting in Dailekh district today.

The district headquarters of Dailekh, Dullu, had turned into a battlefield some days ago after the opposition cadres and Maoists clashed while the UCPN (Maoist) was organizing its district convention.

Top leaders of the opposition parties including Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala, CPN (UML) leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, Rastriya Janamorcha Nepal Chairman Chitra Bahadur KC and others are scheduled to address the meeting.

Similarly, most of the Dailekh-based journalists were displaced citing security threats by the Maoist cadres.

Meanwhile, UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has accused Nepal’s incumbent Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai of being the cruellest and the most foolish politician in the history. “Pushpa Kamal Dahal is also a criminal for giving inspiration to such person,” the UML leader came heavily down on the Maoists. He even told the journalists that the people would never ever vote for the Maoists. “People did mistake by voting for the Maoists,” he charged.

The oppositions—mainly the Nepali Congress and CPN (UML)—are organizing a rally from Bhrikutimandap this afternoon and the rally will pass through different parts of the town before converting in to a protest meeting at Basantapur.

NC general secretary Prakash Man Singh and UML Vice-chairman Bamdev Gautam, and other second-rung leaders of the opposition parties are addressing the meeting.

The opposition parties are scheduled to organize a photo exhibition of the martyrs where selected photos of those killed by the Maoist during the insurgency would be displayed, UML leader Krishna Gopal Shrestha said.

The opposition parties are organizing a mass meeting on 8 February in the capital as a show of strength against the government.