Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli (Reuters Photo)Prime Minister K P Oli on Saturday warned a Maoist group led by Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplab’ to lay down arms as a condition for negotiation with the government.
Addressing a parliamentary party meeting of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal, Oli said his government had succeeded in bringing “secessionist” groups to mainstream politics, and that he would want to give the same opportunity to those practicing “terrorism” provided they are willing to surrender arms.
Oli also defended President Bidhya Bhandari’s use of the phrase “my government” 42 times when she unveiled the programmes and policies of the government during a joint sitting of parliament on Friday.
On the media and the main opposition Nepali Congress saying that the President’s speech smacked of what the monarchy did earlier, Oli said the language used was no different from practices in democracies worldwide.
“A citizen can say my country, my nation, my national anthem etc… and similarly the President who is the head of the state has every right to refer an elected government as her government,” he said.
