Facebook flooded with fury

KATHMANDU, MAR 18 -

As the outrage against the government’s decision to provide Rs 20 million to an Everest expedition to be led by Prakash Dahal intensified from all quarters, social networking sites Facebook and Twitter became the most vibrant spaces for popular frustration at the move.

Apart from annoyance over the stalled peace process and news of corruption, many observed the decision as yet another case signifying the “gradual decline in the so-called socialist principles” of the Maoist party.

While the country witnessed protest rallies throughout the day, Sushil Adhikari reacted by posting a line on his Facebook wall—it would be wise to dissolve the Constituent Assembly if climbing Everest were to ensure timely peace and constitution.

On a humorous note, referring to the recent super hit movie Loot, Kosmos Biswokarma, editor of Face To Face, an environment magazine, wrote, “Nischal Basnet, director of Loot, is planning a sequel called ‘Loot 2’ with Dr Baburam in the main role.”

The public also spilled its fury by recalling a number of incidents from the past when the government refused to provide funds even if the requests were worth heeding. Many recalled how the government had rejected cyclist Puskar Shah’s request for tax exemption while climbing the tallest peak last year.

Expressing his frustration, Shah himself wrote on Facebook, “This is the same country that had rejected me of support with just a bottle of drinking water when I was about to climb the Everest carrying flags of all the nations across globe.”

Some, on the networking sites, were found seeking connections with the filial relations of Prakash, who was given the grant. Referring to the pressure Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal could have put on the prime minister to okay the amount for his son, Saloja Dahal, commented on Facebook, “Only if my dad was a politician like Prachanda …” “I don’t believe this is happening in the party that claims to carry the communist agenda,” said Gopal Pandey, a shopkeeper at Baneshwor, who hails from Sarlahi. “These leaders are virtually looting the taxpayers’ money.”

Meanwhile, opposing the media reports “defaming” Prakash, his supporters also created a page on Facebook. The page, liked by 529 users until late Saturday evening, was filled with comments and posts that stated it was a conspiracy of opposition parties to defame Prakash.

Students protest decision

Sister organisations of two opposition parties, Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML, staged demonstrations in various districts to protest the government’s decision to provide Rs 20 million to a UCPN (Maoist) team involving Prakash,

son of Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, to climb Mt Everest.

The UML-affiliated All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU), the NC-aligned Nepal Students’ Union and another student union took out a protest rally in Kohalpur, Banke. The rally starting from Pipal Chautara went through Kohalpur bazaar before converging at New Road, where the protesters burnt a portrait of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. Earlier, they had halted vehicular movement for one hour. They chanted anti-government slogans saying that the government had misused taxpayers’ money by providing a huge amount to the Everest expedition. They also demanded that the government roll back its decision immediately and punish those who okayed it.

Banke President of ANNFSU Surya Rokaya warned of a series of protests if the government did not revoke the decision. Bageshwori Multiple Campus Unit President Bhola Sharma accused the government of misusing state funds on unnecessary things.

In Dolakha, student unions affiliated with the NC and the UML rallied in Charikot against the government decision.