The youths and scholars in Ilam district have agreed to disagree with the demands put forth by the protesting Dr Govinda KC, arguing that the latter was intending to make the sovereign parliament hostage.
Dr KC has been staging 16th hunger strike in Ilam for the seventh day Tuesday.
Professors, human rights activists and youth students have voiced that Dr KC's protest was irrelevant and he should comply with the rule of law and the authority of parliament.
Dr KC, who had been on a fast-unto-death at a private house in Ilam, has demanded that the National Medical Education Bill be passed as per the agreement between him and the government on April 23 last year.
Interestingly, a social campaigner from Kathmandu, Bijay Thapa, has been staging hunger strike, against Govinda KC's demands since Jan 11. He demanded, on the contrary to Dr KC's demand, that the Bill be passed through the majority rather than under anyone's pressure.
Dr KC, whose health grew critical over the period, has been transferred to the District Hospital in Ilam from where he said he will continue his protest.
Principal of Mahendra Ratna Multiple Campus, Santosh Parajuli, told RSS, "Dr KC seems to be little frustrated. A single individual should not insist to take the sovereign parliament of the country hostage."
He further said that from the view point of rule of law, questions were raised over the intention of Dr KC.
Prof Parajuli viewed Thapa's hunger strike as the result of stubbornness. He added, "People have the notion that the government would give in to the stubbornness of the protesters staging hunger strike. It is an anarchist thought that all the demands should be met."
He argued, "Both protesters should obey the decisions of the parliament in the rule of law."
Many including former President of Ilam High Court Bar Association Sudhir Bohora opined that Dr KC's move was against the people elected parliament's sovereign rights of enacting bills.
Bohora termed the tendency of Dr KC to be an 'undemocratic stubbornness', arguing that Dr KC's hunger strike had posed a challenge to the democratic concept of rule of law.
He viewed that if the demands were not met, Dr KC should go to the judicial agencies. "Dr KC's hunger strike is a mockery to the laws."
Stating that no one was above the law, Bohora said that Dr KC, who is a senior orthopaedic surgeon at the TUTH, should think what kind of message he was spreading by being a government salary maker and staging hunger strike.
He has also commented that the protester Thapa's strike was a display of one's stubbornness against others.
As Bohora said, the frequent hunger strikes by Dr KC to press the government to address his demands were capable of sending message that strike was the best way to gets own demands fulfilled.
District-based rights activist Bhumika Acharya sensed the political color in the Dr KC's agitation. She saw the interest of the main opposition Nepali Congress in the agitation, adding that clash of interests and political competition were usual in between the government and the main opposition, but the culture of practicing strike as an alternative to the exercise of politics was not appropriate.
She went on to say that she saw the faces of NC district committee cadres in every rallies and demonstrations who were expressing solidarity to the Dr KC's agitation.
She claimed that if the demands were genuine, the previous governments would have addressed them, underlining the need of putting an end to the culture of giving troubles to the people by strikes in health service.
Similarly, another rights activist Chhabi Shrestha evaluated the style of Dr KC not be so genuine. The strike could set a precedent for organizing strike to pile pressure on the government to address other various demands in the days ahead.
Mahendra Ratna Multiple Campus Master's level student Ishwari Tamang accused Dr KC of choosing to the repeated hunger strikes just to get the personal fame and serve the political interests.
She explained that they supported Dr KC thinking that it was for the educational and health rights of poor students, but we came to realize that the intention was different and intended to make picket the government and the parliament.
"We all know that Nepali students are compelled to go abroad for medical studies with being failed to get such opportunities at home due to various reasons including the limited colleges and quotas by spending million of rupees and in this context, his demands and agitation both are inappropriate," she said, adding, "There must be free education and health at home and the Medical Education Bill endorsed by a parliamentary committee should not be obstructed under any pretext."
