Koirala asks security heads to beef up security for polls

Kathmandu, Feb 17 (UNI) Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today directed the security forces' chiefs of the Eastern Development Region to beef up security for the Constituent Assembly (CA) polls slated for April 10.

He also instructed them to help resume vehicular movement on the highways blocked by different agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups as a part of their indefinite Terai strike.

During the meeting in Biratnagar, the Prime Minister informed that discussions were going on with senior leaders of the Madhesi Mukti Morcha to call off the strike in the region, Kantipuronline quoted Acting Regional Administrator Narendra Dahal as saying.

Mr Koirala told mediapersons that he will hold talks again with the senior Madhesi leaders in the capital.

Meanwhile, General Secretary of CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal stated that the polls would be held despite attempts to foil it in the Terai.

''Polls would be held even amidst bombs and guns,'' he said at an electoral mass meet held in Pokhara yesterday.

''If we wait for total peace to conduct the polls, there would be no appropriate time even in the next ten years. Royalists and reactionaries will keep on hatching conspiracies against the CA,'' he added.

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