Feb 21, Kathmandu - CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel on Saturday issued a video message on social media, accusing the society of being led in the wrong direction in the name of the new.

In the video, he did not directly mention the name of the RSP, but the targeted criticism was clear. Pokharel said, “Today, there are attempts to lead the country on the path of destruction and to make it a playground for geopolitical conflict. An attempt is being made to lead the society in the wrong direction in the name of the new.” He stressed the need to actively participate in the elections to thwart such attempts, saying, “We must participate in the elections to ensure the security of the nation, the protection of the constitution, the vitality of democracy, and the rights of the people.” Pokharel informed that he is seeking an opportunity to directly address the demands of the people as a public representative by becoming a candidate from Dang Constituency No. 2. In this constituency, he is competing with 23 candidates including Kiran Kishore Ghimire of the Nepali Congress, Nirmal Acharya of the CPN (Maoist), and Bipin Kumar Acharya of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).