Dec 31 is the National Reconciliation Day for the Nepali Congress (NC), and its sister organizations. They organize various programs across the nation to observe the day.
On this day 31 years ago late B P Koirala the first elected Prime Minister and his colleague late Ganesh Man Singh had returned to Nepal from India with the proposal of national reconciliation. Since then NC has been celebrating the day as National Reconciliation day.
To day issuing a message, Prime Minister and President of Nepali Congress (NC) Girija Prasad Koirala said that national unity and reconciliation was needed to make people sovereign and to safeguard nation’s interest.
Koirala added, nationalism and sovereignty are two inseparable fundamentals. Every Nepali should be inspired by the motto: “We will not remain if the country ceases to exist”. To mark the day a message is issued by the Prime Minister’s office that states, "The country will have to bear the impact in the first place if the people have no sovereign right and the National Unity and Reconciliation Day is a reminder of the importance of making people sovereign."
Meanwhile, on the occasion of the Reconciliation Day, NC formally launched a nation wide Peace Campaign in all 75 districts of the country to create a fear-free environment for independent elections to the constituent assembly. During the campaign the NC cadres will go door to door for collecting suggestions so that they can take an official position on monarchy.
Sending NC cadres to the villages are right and timely move. Since it still remains the sense of fear produced by the decade-long insurgency in the villages, the party can bring a positive impact on people by eliminating fear after the campaign. The Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting held at the official residence of Prime Minister GP Koirala had decided to send all the CWC members, NC Members of Parliament and central leaders to the districts under the "Peace Campaign" to create political awareness and to strengthen the congress fraternity.
Parties should send their leaders to every nooks and corners of Nepali villages where insurgency had affected most and people simply cannot express their opinion. Without practicing free expression in public the rights given to the people through interim constitution will have no meaning at all.
How will the Maoists cadres respond to the NC’s Peace Campaign? This is an acid test of the Maoist leadership. People all over the world are watching Nepal's Peace Process.
