Nepali Congress and Bibeksheel Sajha Party activists on Thursday tried to gift the now-famous ‘Marsi’ rice to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, as a protest against the government’s apathy towards Dr Govinda KC and Ganga Maya Adhikari, one staging hunger strike in Jumla demanding reforms in the country’s medical education sector and the other also on starvation protest demanding justice for her murdered son Krishna Prasad. While the prime minister’s office in Baluwatar refused to accept the present of Marsi rice, a rare and highly-prized rice variety native to Jumla district, the protesters were content at knowing that at least they succeeded in getting their message across. Pritam Subedi, one of the protesters, said it was a symbolic protest they had come up with to draw Prime Minister Oli’s attention to the concerns of Dr KC and Adhikari. Marsi rice quickly became the status of wealth and affluence after Prime Minister Oli, Communist Party Nepal Co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and a business magnate Durga Prasai were pictured eating the rice, which can be identified by its distinct reddish brown colour. “If the prime minister is willing to work for business persons by having Marsi rice with them, we thought that he would return a similar gesture if we present him the same rice and request him to address the concerns of Dr Govinda KC and Ganga Maya Adhikari,” quipped Subedi. The Thursday’s protest at Baluwatar also saw participations of people from Solidarity With Prof. Dr KC Alliance, Save Ganga Maya, Nepal Medical Association, Nepal Bar Association, Nepal Engineers’ Association, Government Doctors Association and Nepal Teachers’ Association, among others. डा. गोविन्द केसीका समर्थकले बिहीबार प्रधानमन्त्री प्रधानमन्त्री केपी शर्मा ओलीलाई मार्सी धानको एक किलो चामल उपहार दिएका छन् । प्रधानमन्त्री निवास वालुवाटार बाहिर प्रदर्शन मार्सी चामलसहित प्रदर्शन गरेका उनीहरुले बालुवाटारभित्र प्रधानमन्त्रीकालागि एक किलो चामल दिएका थिए । तर प्रधानमन्त्रीका प्रतिनिधिले चामल लिन नमानेको डा. केसीका समर्थक प्रितम सुवेदीले बताए । ‘यस्तो हामीले लिने गरेको छैनौं भनेर फर्काइदिनुभयो’ उनले भने । सोलिडारिटी फर डा. केसी एलायन्सले गरेको प्रदर्शनमा डा. केसीका समर्थकले जुम्लामा फलेको मार्सी चामलको खाने तर जुम्लामा एमबीबीएस पढ्न कहिले पाउने भनी प्रश्न पनि गरेका छन् । प्रधानमन्त्रीले व्यापारीकोमा मार्सी चामलको भात खाएकाले व्यापारीमुखी चिकित्सा शिक्षा ऐन ल्याउन लागेको भन्दै जनताले दिएको मार्सी चामलको भात खाएर जनतामुखी ऐन ल्याउन आग्रह गरिएको सुवेदीले बताए । ‘सायद व्यापारीहरुले दिएकैले पुगेकाले होला उहाँले जनताले दिएको (मार्सी चामल) लिन मान्नुभएन’ उनले भने ।