Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, the chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Centre), made his first public appearance on Tuesday since the Gen-Z protests shook the country.
He visited the party’s central office in Koteshwor, Parisdanda, which had suffered heavy damage during the demonstrations.
“Much was destroyed, but now we will rebuild,” Prachanda told reporters after inspecting the site. “The new office will be a grand building, created with the support of party members from across the country and abroad.”
He did not disclose the exact location for the new office.
During the inspection, Prachanda noted that despite the destruction, several important items were saved. These included the minutes of party meetings, some computers, and books from the party library. He thanked the staff and party workers who helped preserve these materials.
The visit marked Prachanda’s first public outing since the protests, during which he had been under army protection. Until recently, he had been reportedly staying at a family member’s house after leaving the army barracks.
The protests had not spared Prachanda’s personal residence in Khumaltar, which also faced arson attacks. Homes of his daughters, Ganga and Renuka, and other party leaders were similarly vandalized.
At the Parisdanda office, Prachanda joined party workers in cleaning up the site. He spent time alongside them, demonstrating a hands-on approach. Later, he paid tribute at the martyrs’ monument on the premises.
The Maoist Centre’s office had been targeted during mass protests in Nepal, leaving extensive damage behind. Prachanda conducted a detailed inspection. He noted the scale of destruction and also acknowledging the successful recovery of key records.
Also Read: Nepal announces Rs 1.5mn relief for Gen Z protest martyrs amid historic political shift
Earlier, Prachanda addressed the recent Gen-Z movement that led to widespread unrest and political change, following the collapse of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government. He paid tribute to youths who lost their lives and called for peaceful resolution and dialogue.
In his public statement, Prachanda criticized the former coalition of the Nepali Congress and UML for triggering unrest through corruption and mismanagement. He said the government’s brutal response to peaceful protests had escalated anger among citizens.
While acknowledging the vandalism and arson that occurred in key government offices, he insisted these acts were not carried out by the Gen-Z demonstrators themselves but by infiltrators seeking to destabilize Nepal’s democracy.