Leaders from all the parties other than the CPN-Maoist shunned the meeting to express their strong disapproval of the Maoist party´s move to form a talks team to negotiate with the government and the High Level Political Committee (HLPC). [break]
“We didn´t attend the meeting called for today [Wednesday] because the CPN-Maoist formed the talks team without holding any discussion with other parties in the alliance,” Mani Thapa, chief of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Nepal, a member party of the alliance, told Republica. “It is against the official position of the alliance.”
He argued that the alliance had earlier decided not to hold talks with the present government and HLPC. He said that 32 parties were taken aback by the Maoist party´s decision “as there has been no change in the situation at all”.
Responding to appeals by the government and HLPC for talks, the CPN-Maoist earlier this week had formed a five-member talks committee led by party Chairman Mohan Baidya. The party had been saying that it would sit for talks only with the president, arguing the government and HLPC have no constitutional legitimacy.
“Once Baidya returns home, we will ask him to clarify their move. We will then take a decision,” said Thapa.
Immediately after taking the decision to form the talks team under his own leadership, Baidya left for China.
While the Maoist party´s move as seen as a show of flexibility, Baidya´s visit to the northern neighbor was a swift development at least for leaders from other parties.
CPN-Maoist Secretary Gurung said the 33-party meeting scheduled for Wednesday was postponed until further notice as there was misunderstanding between the leaders of member parties.
“It seems that a misunderstanding has taken place. The upcoming meetings will clear the misunderstandings,” said Gurung.
He argued that his party formed the talks team as the government and HLPC asked the party to form a talks team. “We are for including all the 33 parties,” he said.
The 33-party alliance in the past had been consistently demanding dissolution of the present government saying that formation of government under the leadership of chief justice was entirely against the principle of separation of powers. The alliance had been pressing for forming of a new government under the leadership and participation of political parties.
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