Locals staged a demonstration outside the Province Assembly on Wednesday expressing dissatisfaction over the proposed name and capital of Province 7.

Though it was dubbed as spontaneous protest, the main opposition Nepali Congress leaders and cadres had participated in the demonstration.

A special parliamentary committee formed by the Province Assembly on Tuesday had proposed ‘Sudurpashchim’ as the name of Province 7 and ‘Godawari’ in Kailali as its capital.

As per the schedule of the provincial assembly, discussion over the proposal starts on Wednesday.

Protesters have said that they would continue the protest until the Province Assembly takes back its proposal.

They said that it was just a political whim to transfer the capital just a few kilometers from Dhangadhi, the temporary capital of Province 7.

“Godawari Municipality is the political whim of then CPN (Maoist Centre) leader LekhrajBhatta,” protester Padam Raj Bhatta said, adding, “We will not accept this at any cost. Protest will be intensified.”

Leader Bhatta’s election constituency and house is situated at Attariya in Godawari Municipality.

The provincial capital has been proposed at a public place west of the Dhangadhi-Dadeldhura road section in Godawari Municipality-4, Kailali. The proposed place is bush area and is about 20km from Dhangadhi—the temporary provincial capital.

Similarly, protest leader HariRegmi accused the Province Assembly of trying to move the Capital to Godawari in collusion with land brokers and timber smugglers.He said that the Godawari was proposed as the Province 7 capital to clear the Godawari forest of Chure foothills.

“Why the capital should be transferred to Chure foothill?” he questioned, adding, “It is the conspiracy of land brokers and timber smugglers.”

He said the leaders are trying to move the capital from Dhangadhi as they are trapped in the plot of land mafia and timber smugglers.

The protesters have announced general strike in Dhangadhi on Thursday.

Saying that it is not appropriate to propose Sudurpachim as the name of Province 7 as if it has no identity, Regmi opined that the province should be named so as to reflect the region’s identity.

The main opposition party, Nepali Congress, remained silent on the proposed name of the province but objected to the capital.

As per the constitutional provision, the provincial assembly has the authority to name and designate the provincial capital by a two-thirds majority. The NCP has the required numerical strength in the assembly.