At a time when the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML were intensifying political parleys to form the next government under the UML’s leadership, caretaker Prime Minister and Unified CPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday claimed that his party would lead the next government.
Addressing a press meet organised by the Maoists to clarify the media report on video tape showing him speaking to his cadres early last year, Dahal said: “We will take initiative to forge national consensus and lead the next government.”
Dahal, who had resigned from the government on Monday expressing serious resentment against President Dr Ram Baran Yadav’s move to retain the sacked Chief of the Army Staff, Rookmangud Katawal, however, has floated a precondition for the formation of the new government.
“Before starting dialogues for the formation of the government, the
unconstitutional move taken by the President should be rolled back and the government’s decision to sack the army chief should be enforced immediately,” he said, adding that, “Thereafter, we can start the process to cooperate in this process as well.”
As a result, it is still not clear which party will lead the next government. Neither the Maoists nor the NC and the UML-led alliance would be able to form the government without garnering the support of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) that has 53 members in the Constituent Assembly.
MJF leader Ram Janam Chaudhary said the party’s central committee meeting to be held within one or two days would make its stance public in this regard.
When asked about the possibility of leading the next government by Maoists leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Dahal dubbed it as a mere ploy hatched to create a rift within his party.
He said his party would continue peaceful protest in and outside Parliament and exert pressure on the
President to correct his “unconstitutional” move that they dubbed as coup. Meanwhile, Maoists’ lawmakers today disrupted Parliament and cadres took out torch rallies protesting against the President’s move. Dahal, who refused to attend an all-party meeting called by the CPN-UML on Tuesday, met UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal and asked the latter to make his party’s clear stance on the President’s move before starting the government-formation process.
However, Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Madhes-based Sadbhavana Party chairman Rajendra Mahato ruled out the possibility of leading the next government by the Maoists. According to Sitaula, the next government should be led by the UML on national consensus that is the need of the hour.
Meanwhile, a joint meeting of the Madhes-based parties — Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party and Sadbhavana Party, — decided to take a proactive role to form a consensus government that would be able to address their demands as well. MJF co-chairman Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta said they would reactivate the Samyukta Madhesi Morcha and take a leading role in the next government for the early implementation of an eight-point understanding reached between the then government and the morcha in 2008.
