A day after the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli asked all political parties to join mainstream politics through talks, the outlawed outfit Communist Party of Nepal has said the party is ready for talks.

The party was expressing willingness for talks with the government through informal channels and had formed a talks team but the government kept on rounding up their leaders and cadres.

Issuing a press statement on Saturday, Netra Bikram Chand, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal, said his party was positive for dialogue with the government.

“Our revolution is a conscious attempt for the progressive transformation of the nation and society and for the benefit and rights of the people,”states the press statement signed by Chand, whose nom-de-guerre is Biplab. “I would like to inform all that in a situation of creating an environment for activities and programmes among the people, our party is positive for dialogue with the government.”

On Friday, while addressing the 71st Democracy Day function at Tundikhel prime minister Oli had asked the forces involved in violent activities to join the mainstream politics.

In March 2019, the Oli administration had branded Chand’s party as a criminal group and had banned its activities following a number of explosions in the Capital in which two people were injured.

The party’s Standing Committee member Dharmendra Banskota, who according to the party insiders was entering Kathmandu Valley for the purpose of creating an environment for dialogue, was nabbed from Lalitpur on January 13. On Monday, Banskota was re-arrested after the court ordered the government to release him.

On February 2, Minister for Water Supplies Mani Thapa visited Nakkhu prison to meet Hemanta Prakash Oli, the jailed senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal led by Chand. Minister Thapa had said he discussed with Oli the possibility of dialogue with his party whose activities were banned by the government almost two years ago.