Prerana Marasini

KATHMANDU: After nearly a week of the indefinite strike called by the UCPN (Maoist), life has returned to normalcy in Nepal. Transportation has resumed, and shops and markets are open.

The Maoists on Friday night decided to call off the strike. On Saturday, party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” said his party was “sensitive to people's needs”.

“We did not postpone the strike owing to pressure,” he told a mass assembly of party cadre. “We paid attention to the requests we received and became sensitive to the people's needs.” On Friday, there was a massive peace assembly in the capital in protest against the strike and demanding consensus among the political parties. In several parts of the country, people defied the strike by opening shops.

The major demand of the Maoists is dissolution of the CPN (UML)-led government and formation of a consensus government under the leadership of Mr. Prachanda. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has maintained that he will not resign succumbing to pressure.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nepal thanked the Maoists for calling off the strike and said the door to consensus had opened.