NEW DELHI  Maoist protestors in Nepal threatened Tuesday to extend a general strike indefinitely and organize a “storm of mass protests” unless they were given a place at the head of a unity government, according to news reports.

A former Maoist prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, gave the Nepalese government until Jan. 24 to set up a new national government. If those deadlines were not met, the Prachand vowed his supporters would lead demonstrations and stage an indefinite strike that would “sweep the government away,” Reuters reported.

Tuesday marked the third day of a nationwide strike that has crippled much of Nepal as thousands of Maoist protestors took to the streets, shouting antigovernment slogans and clashing violently with police. Businesses were closed and vehicle traffic was almost nonexistent in the capital, Katmandu.

On Sunday, the police arrested at least 70 people as officers used batons and tear gas to break up protesters, who were blocking roads and preventing Nepal’s prime minister from reaching his residence after returning from the international climate change talks in Copenhagen. The protests Monday were markedly quieter.