Prachanda tosses face-saving proposal

Kathmandu: UCPN (Maoist), which has been making allegation of vote rigging during the November 19 CA polls following the humiliating defeat, has tossed a two-point proposal as a face saving bid.
During the meetings with diplomats and top leaders of other political parties, UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has urged them to create conducive environment for paving the way to his party to join the CA.
UCPN (Maoist) chairman Dahal, who had warned that his party would not join the CA, has, however, told the envoys of India, China, the US and the European Union that his part was ready to join the CA. Stating that he has been caught into the problems inside the party, he has urged them to create an environment to participate in the CA by agreeing on the face-saving demand of the UCPN (Maoist).
Likewise, he has made similar requests with the leaders of the Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) during the telephone and informal conversations with them.  He has tossed the proposal to form a high level probe committee to investigate into the alleged vote rigging in a bit to soothe the party insiders and a joint public commitment from all political parties to bring the CPN-Maoist on board the constitution writing process.  Prachanda has reportedly told the leaders that meeting these two demands would help retaining his political clout inside the party so that he can play effective roles in the national politics like earlier.
It is learnt that NC vice-president Ramchandra Poudel and general secretary Krishna Prashad Sitaula are positive regarding the proposal of Dahal. According to source, they have also started to lobby Dahal’s demands inside the party. Likewise, UML leaders are also positive regarding the proposal of Dahal.
Impressed with Dahal’s proposal, foreign diplomats have also conveyed Dahal’s message to NC president Sushil Koirala and UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Talking with nepalireporter.com, UCPN (Maoist) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha  said that his party was eager to join the CA provided that the demand to form high level probe commission was formed. Denying that his party has threatened to boycott the CA, he said that it would be easy for them to join the CA if their demand of probe commission was formed.