Oli will be prime minister; Prachanda will head the party, says Agni Sapkota
KATHMANDU, Dec 21: CPN (Maoist Center) leader Agni Sapkota on Thursday said that Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba should resign as immediately as possible from the post and clear path for the formation of new government.
Speaking at an interaction program organized by the Reporters’ Club Nepal in the capital, Sapkota, who defeated Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Mohan Bahadur Basnet with more than ten thousands votes in the House of Representatives elections from Sindhupalchowk constituency-1, argued that Deuba’s resignation would give the country a positive outlet from the current stalemate.
“I don’t understand why he is refusing to step down. NC should respect and value the people’s mandate and make way for a new government. The more NC takes time to transfer the power, the more it will hamper them (NC),” said Sapkota.
He also accused Deuba and his party NC of creating unnecessary hurdles in the formation of new government.
He said, “The political parties had already made peace with the majority votes for the formation of National Assembly. But NC bypassed it and put the single transferable voting system. A democratic party like NC should not have laid such obstacles. It is wrong.”
Responding to NC’s accusation that the President is holding the National Assembly Election Ordinance, he urged NC leaders not to bring the President to bring into such void adding, “Instead, President has repeatedly asked the political parties to find consensus on the ordinance.”
‘LEFT UNIFICATION WILL MATERIALIZE’
Sapkota also expressed his confidence that the unification process between CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) would materialize at any cost. “We had already announced unity process while forming electoral alliance. Now, the people have given the left alliance a clear mandate through ballots. Whichever the party turns away from the unity process, will bear a huge consequences.”
The left alliance constituents, UML and Maoist Center are set to formally start the unification process from Sunday amid doubts and differencing opinions over the parties’ power-sharing deal. But Sapkota made clear that UML Chair KP Oli would head the government while Maoist Center Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ would head the party.
“It is certain that if one becomes the prime minister then another will be the chair of the new party,” he said.
It is yet to become clear how the two largest parties of the country will conclude the unity process though.
Sapkota also assured that the Tatopani border, which has remained closed since the devastating 2015 April earthquake, will be opened within three months of the formation of new government under left alliance.