All-party meeting decides to issue joint appeal

KATHMANDU: Major political parties in the country have decided to issue a joint appeal, urging people to be calm and restrained following the Sunsari incident.

After an all-party meeting called by the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on Wednesday morning, RSP President Rabi Lamichhane said that major political parties, despite their political differences, had come together in the wake of the incident. “Our political battlegrounds may differ, but at times like this we stand together. A joint appeal from all parties will be issued soon,” he said.

Speaking at the meeting, Nepali Congress (NC) President Gagan Kumar Thapa questioned the government’s handling of the evolving situation in Sunsari and urged Prime Minister Balendra Shah to play a more active and coordinated role. Thapa said the government should not be limited to using force or social media statements.

Thapa called on the Prime Minister to immediately convene an all-party meeting, consult the President, and maintain continuous dialogue with provincial and local governments. He also criticized the tendency of the state to resort to “excessive force” in Madhes, terming it a continuation of governance failures.

Similarly, CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel said the government must act as a guardian to restore public confidence following the incident. He added that weak morale among security agencies or ineffective crowd management could lead to similar incidents in the future.

Pokharel added that security operations must be conducted sensitively to avoid civilian casualties.

Leaders from major political parties, including NC, UML, Nepali Communist Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Janamat Party, among others, participated in the meeting.