Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Former Prime Minister and patron of the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party (PLP) Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has called on that both the government and the protesting Gen Z movement to move forward responsibly to immediately implement the political mandate presented by the Gen Z protests of September 8 and 9.
Sharing his views on social media on Tuesday, he said that the agreement document put forward between the Sushila Karki–led government and the Gen Z group should be signed without delay and the process should move ahead.
Stating that the Gen Z protest has demanded a complete transformation of Nepal’s old politico-economic structure, he warned that attempts to suppress public anger through superficial “denting–painting” of old politics or through populist slogans will no longer succeed. “The attempt to manufacture messiahs in a monarchical style to deflect and exploit the youth’s anger could push the country toward an even bigger explosion,” Dr Bhattarai wrote wrote in his social page.
He demanded that the investigation committee, headed by Gauri Bahadur Karki and formed to probe the events of September 8–9, must complete its work not at a snail’s pace but at rocket speed, and ensure its recommendations are implemented.
Dr Bhattarai also urged the government to hold the elections scheduled for March 5 in a free, fair and unobstructed manner. He said the elections should not be treated merely as a formality but advanced as a decisive phase in the country’s upcoming political restructuring.
Likewise, he said the old parties and leadership should be respectfully retired through democratic means, and broad polarization, alliances and cooperation should be built among new and alternative political forces to achieve a “progressive new democratic leadership.”
