Both plans trashed, Prachanda plans to discuss election and election government

KATHMANDU: Chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala held a meeting at the latter’s residence at Maharajgunj today.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed ways of ending the current political deadlock and constituting the government of national consensus.

They held discussions on either issuing a constitution incorporating the points on which the parties had agreed in the past through the reinstatement of the Constituent Assembly or going for fresh election.

The two leaders are also learnt to have held serious talks on seeking consensus for a political way out before the Tihar festival alone, saying the rift between the political parties was increasing with the deepening political crisis.

UCPN (Maoist) chairman Dahal is learnt to have held discussions with the NC president with the proposal incorporating reinstatement of the Parliament if possible and going for fresh elections if that was not feasible.

In his reaction to Dahal’s proposal to this effect, NC president Koirala said, “There is no credible basis in Chairman Dahal’s proposal so there is no situation to believe in it.” He added that since Chairman Dahal did not walk the talk and as they have been betrayed time and again, there was no basis in believing in Dahal’s latst proposal.

Koirala reiterated that it was the stated view of the Nepali Congress that the party should go for fresh election rather than the revival of the Constituent Assembly. “The reinstatement of the Constituent Assembly or the Parliament is not at all acceptable to the Nepali Congress,” he said.

“To go for elections, it is necessary that this government should be dissolved and a new consensus government formed in its place,” Koirala told media persons after the talks with the UCPN (Maoist) chairman.

Likewise, the UCPN (Maoist) chairman said that a new constitution could be issued through the reinstatement of the CA by incorporating the issues that have been agreed upon before and if that was not possible, then the parties could opt for fresh election.

Dahal said also today he held discussions with the CPN (UML) chairman Jhalanath Khanal and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal on this proposal.

Chairman Khanal and senior leader Nepal had in one voice suggested that Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai should resign and pave the way for the formation of a new consensus government before going for fresh election. RSS