The Maoists gathered in front of the Constituent Assembly on Tuesday to end the three-day long strike. Even as the protest comes to a conclusion, there are no signs of rapprochement between the government and the main opposition party. The Kathmandu Post writes:

“If the ruling parties continue to ignore our demands, we will go for a fourth phase of our protest,” warned UCPN (Maoist) Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai while addressing protesters at Naya Baneshwor.

However, he also said his party would not announce further protests if the ruling parties agree to discuss President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav’s move on the then Army chief Rookmangud Katawal in parliament.

On Monday, the government called upon the Maoist leadership to end the strike and find a solution through talks. The Himalayan Times reports:

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal today urged UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” to return for talks, calling off the ongoing agitation, which has turned violent across the country.

In a telephonic conversation with Prachanda on the second day of three-day nationwide general strike called by the Maoists, the PM told the Maoist chairman that violent acts would only invite confrontation, leading to derailment of the constitution-making and peace building processes, twin goals of the Constituent Assembly.

The government said Monday’s protests were violent, and intimidation and threats were used to enforce the strike. Nepali Times writes:

Government offices that were open on Monday were attacked and set on fire. Civil servants were physically attacked in Butwal, Bhaktapur, Surkhet, and Phidim. In Dhankuta, Maoist protesters vandalised a college building badly. A USAID office in Surkhet was also vandalised.

The Federation of Nepali Commerce and Industry, who had advised its members to defy the strike earlier, said the protesters were more aggressive than usual. The Kathmandu Post reports:

The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), in a press statement on Monday, said the businesses would not pay workers who stayed away from work during the banda.

The FNCCI has expressed concern that UPCN (Maoist) cadre, who used to show restraint during earlier strikes, had become aggressive during the ongoing strike.

In the last two days, Maoist cadre vandalised FNCCI President Kush Kumar Joshi’s Nepal Ekarat Engineering in Hetauda; attacked Mahesh Sharma, manager of Pawan Putra Plastics, Rajendra Prasad Yadav, manager of Triveni Textiles, and Parameshwor Khandelwal, manager of Shiv Shakti Packaging Industry - all in Parsa. All major industries along the Birgunj-Pathlaiya industrial corridor have remained closed for the last two days. Likewise, Maoist cadre barged into Himal Iron and Steel of Jyoti Group at Parwanipur and vandalised it.

While the Maoists forced a strike in the entire country, residents of Sankhu staged a protest against the Maoists’ strike. This little piece of news from Republica probably sums up the feelings of the people about the banda:

Sankhu has been tense after locals there staged a protest against Maoists' shutdown.

The locals blocked a bus carrying Maoists in Sankhu on Tuesday morning to protest ‘inconvenience’ they faced during the three-day shutdown. The bus bound to Nanglebhare was blocked until afternoon.

“Our children are forced to walk, and you people are traveling on a vehicle,” police quoted a local as telling the Maoist cadres.

(Posted by Indu Nepal)