By Our Reporter After an interval of many years, the CPN-UML, the main opposition party in the parliament organised a huge mass meeting in Kathmandu on Friday. The CPN-UML that faced a humiliating defeat in the 2008 elections had not organised any mass meeting in Kathmandu since 1999 general elections. Independent analysts and police sources said that over 50,000 people gathered to listen to UML chair K P Oli in the mass meeting. Oli has been leading the nationalist group since last one year and he has been strongly opposing the constitution amendment bill. Of course, the mass meeting was organised to protest the amendment bill. The UML leaders however claimed that 150, 000 participated in the mass meeting. Anyway, the size of the mass meeting clearly suggested that the people were against the amendment bill. Although the mass meeting was jointly organised by nine opposition parties, it was virtually a mass meeting of the UML as no other parties except for the Nepal Workers Peasant Party of Narayan Man Bijukchhe had public base in the Kathmandu valley. The protest rallies that began from 40 different places of the valley passed through Bhadrakali, Sahid Gate and Sundhara before converging into a mass meeting at the Exhibition Road. Addressing the mass meeting, Oli said that his party would not allow the endorsement of any anti-national bill including the constitution amendment bill. The mass meeting showed the UML has gained its strength in the Kathmandu valley. The party that failed to win a single seat from the valley in 2008 CA polls, won three seats in 2013. The party’s popularity has further increased after Oli boldly faced the Indian blockade and did not bow before the Indian rulers.