NC denies using Presidency as bargain chip for consensus government

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress has denied to consider Presidency post as part of the collective bargain to form a national consensus government in its leadership as demanded by the CPN UML and other parties.

A meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee, that started on Thursday in the capital, said that the party won’t be including the constitutional post of Presidency as part of the power-sharing bargain to form consensus government in its leadership.

While expressing its discontent to this demand of CPN UML, speakers at the CWC said that UML should use other executive posts as a bargain for forming consensus government rather than eyeing a constitutional post like that of the President.

Most of the members that expressed their opinion on the issue said that the Presidency election issue should be resolved through the Constituent Assembly.

CWC member Narhari Acharya said that the issues surrounding the government formation should be resolved by considering the need to take along CPN UML and the UCPN Maoist together in the government and must be conducive to draft the constitution within a year and holding of local election my mid-April.

Acharya in his six point strategic plan has also proposed that the party form talks committee to hold dialogue with political parties outside the CA and to pave way for their active participation in the constitution drafting process.