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Former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said that he did not give any written or verbal order to use force in the GenZ protests held on September 8 and 9.

Talking to the media today after recording his statement before the inquiry commission formed to investigate the damages caused during the GenZ protest, he said that the decision to use force or not is the responsibility of the security officials deployed at the time as per the law. “There is no legal provision for the minister or the prime minister to issue the order to use force,” he clarified. 

Former Minister Lekhak informed the media that he submitted his views and details in writing to the commission.

According to former Minister Lekhak, a meeting of the Central Security Committee was called on September 7 after receiving prior information from the security agencies and the home administration about the demonstration of the GenZ group to be held a day later. The meeting analyzed the information collected by the security agencies and stated that the organizers had reported that the demonstration would be peaceful.

Clarifying that no decision or plan was made in the meeting regarding use of force, he said that it was concluded that law and security arrangements would be made by coordinating among all the security agencies. Former Home Minister Lekhak mentioned that formal discussions were held with the then Prime Minister in Baluwatar after the Central Security Committee meeting and that emphasis was placed on ensuring that there were no human casualties there as well.

Lekhak said that he resigned on the same day on moral grounds. "I considered it a moral duty to resign from my position after the death of persons," he said.

Minister Lekhak said that the incidents that took place after his resignation have seriously damaged the country's self-respect, democratic values, and constitutional institutions. 

He said that the damage to constitutional organs and public property of the state such as Singha Durbar, Rastrapati Bhawan, and Supreme Court was against the core spirit of the GenZ movement. 

Informing about personal losses, former Home Minister Lekhak said that his two houses in Mahendranagar were destroyed in a fire, his residence in Kathmandu was damaged beyond habitability, and that a serious situation arose while trying to save his mother from an attack by protesters, and that his mother later passed away. 

Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav and Janata Samajbadi Party Co-Chair Renu Yadav signed a party unification agreement on Monday. 

Earlier on Sunday, an understanding had been reached between the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party and Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal to move forward with unification. 

The leaders agreed to unite the parties to protect and promote the federal democratic republic and safeguard the rights of the Madhes region and the Madhesi people.

Majority of central committee members of Janata Samajbadi Party would join the party led by Upendra Yadav, said a leader Pradeep Yadav of JSP Nepal. 

He opined that the unification was announced keeping the wish and expectation of Madhesi people in mind, as unity between the JSP Nepal and Janata Samajbadi Party was indispensable in the changed political context.

The Nepali Communist Party (NCP) has decided not to include the names of the leaders, who already became lawmakers and ministers, in the proportional representation list of the House of Representatives. 

As per the consensus reached among the top leaders of the party, the names of party leaders, who already have served as lawmakers under the first-past-the-post election or proportional representation system as well as member of the National Assembly, would not be included in the proportional list, shared Chief Secretary of the NCP, Ganesh Man Pun. 

As per the election schedule, the political parties participating in the March 5 elections to the House of Representatives have to submit the closed list under the PR system by this afternoon. 

The political parties have to submit the closed list for 110 seats under the PR system.

Two popular leaders have formed an alliance ahead of March parliamentary elections in Nepal that will challenge the older parties which have dominated the Himalayan nation's politics for over three decades, party officials and analysts said on Monday, Reuters reported. 

Rapper turned-Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, known as Balen, a popular elected official, joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) or national independent party, led by a former TV host-turned politician Rabi Lamichhane on Sunday, party officials said.

They said under the agreement with RSP, 35-year old Balen will become the prime minister if the RSP wins the March 5 elections while Lamichhane, 48, will remain the party chief.

Both have vowed to address the demands raised during the "Gen Z" or youth-led protests against widespread corruption in September in which 77 people were killed and led to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigning, according to Reuters.