Senior Orthopaedic Dr Govinda KC has warned to start his 20th fast-unto-death protest from February 24 if his demands are not met within the next three weeks.
On Tuesday, Dr KC issued a statement saying that the country was facing a constitutional crisis and warned to start satyagraha against the situation of a single person continued to try to rule the entire nation.
Dr KC’s demands include protection of the constitution stating that Prime Minister KP Oli had unconstitutionally dissolved the Parliament. Similarly, stating that the appointment recommendations made for the constitutional bodies were illegal and in violation of the rules and procedures, Dr KC has demanded that the recommendation be canceled immediately.
It is important to note that all those recommended by the Constitutional Council meeting for appointment in various constitutional bodies were administered their oaths of office and secrecy by President Bidya Devi Bhandari amidst a special function at the President’s Office in Shital Niwas today.
“We have decided to start a satyagraha to ensure that the future of Nepali generations is not darkened by the illegal use of constitution,” he said in the statement.
In his statement, Dr KC said the country currently was in a serious political crisis. “But we have a bigger constitutional crisis than that. The democratic system brought by shedding blood and sweat of the citizens for almost eight decades is in danger. Attempts are being made to institutionalize an authoritarian system in which one person is omnipotent and all state institutions work according to his interests.”
The statement further reads, “In today’s Nepal, we citizens are sovereign. Therefore, we have not only the right to speak, write and earn a decent living, but also the responsibility to protect democratic rights and freedoms. Before this, when any powerful people of the nation tried to violate our freedom and rights, the citizens have a history of defeating them.”
“We have been constantly fighting for a decade to improve the country’s health and medical education and good governance. Many of our demands have not yet been met and many of the agreements have not been implemented. Even after the Medical Education Act was passed and the Medical Education Commission was formed, there are many things that need to be amended. When making medical education regulations, the provisions to make medical education non-profitable since 2028 has not been included in the act.”
“According to the law, KUMS and the Nepal Army Medical College, which are required to give 75 percent scholarships as public institutions, have not given scholarships yet. No one needs to doubt that we will continue to fight for all these agendas.”
“But the current constitutional crisis in the country, like one person preparing crooked ideas of occupying the entire nation apparatus, if it succeeds completely, will leave us no ground to fight for reform and good governance in the future. As long as KP Oli is the Prime Minister of the country, not only our constitution but also the interests and security of the entire country will be in danger. If regression is to take place at the current pace, the politics of prohibition, violence and confrontation are likely to raise their heads,” the statement reads.
“So we think this is the right time for us as citizens to intervene peacefully. If we lose this opportunity and dictatorship is institutionalized in the country, our descendants will never forgive us. On the other hand, if we, the citizens, wage a non-violent struggle based on our moral strength, all the planning to deprive us from our democratic rights will fail.”
“There will be no justification for another violent struggle in the country. Our conscious efforts are equally necessary for the independence of the judiciary and good judicial governance. All of us citizens are closely monitoring the ongoing judicial process in the Supreme Court regarding the dissolution of the Constitution. All citizens expect the country’s Supreme Court to uphold the constitution. We have the same interest and monitoring in the performance of other constitutional bodies. We also urge the constitutional bodies, including the authorities, to fulfill their constitutional obligations by impartially investigating and taking necessary action against all corrupt persons and to be careful not to become a weapon of revenge against any particular person.”