CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, who also heads HLPC, said the next meeting has been scheduled for Thursday. “We had to defer some meetings due to absence of Sushilji. The next meeting has been scheduled for Thursday 4 pm,” Khanal told Republica. [break]
Top leaders had adjourned the HLPC meeting on Monday without entering into any agenda items due to absence of Koirala.
Asked why Koirala is avoiding the top leaders´ meeting, Khanal quipped, “First let him come and explain his reasons.”
Leaders closely involved in interparty negotiations and HLPC meetings said Koirala was not happy in the recent days as there was no satisfactory progress in preparations for the election. He is further dismayed mainly by two recent incidents. Koirala has been firmly lobbying for resignation of the Chairman of the election government Khil Raj Regmi as the chief justice. Also, Regmi himself expressed strong dissatisfaction, at the same meeting, over Koirala´s insistence on the former´s resignation as chief justice.
“While introvert Koirala was already unhappy with the developments, statement by NC´s Ram Chandra Paudel further irked him,” said a UML leader who also attends HLPC meetings. NC Vice-President Paudel had stated in public that there was no point in demanding Regmi´s resignation from the post of CJ. Paudel said that it was high time that the political parties focused all energy in holding election instead of seeking Regmi´s resignation.
According to a leader, HLPC coordinator Khanal had telephoned Koirala from the meeting after he came to know that the NC president was out of Kathmandu on Monday. “We had scheduled the meeting for Wednesday with consent from Koirala,” said the leader. “Koirala hasn´t clearly expressed his dissatisfaction in words but he is showing his displeasure in deeds.”
NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat said Koirala´s was absent only because his scheduled programs outside Kathmandu coincided with HLPC meetings. He said Koirala would attend the upcoming meetings. “Different leaders might have different opinions but I don´t think he is escaping HLPC meetings just because of difference of opinion,” said Mahat.
According to him, Koirala is not fully satisfied as there has been no satisfactory progress in the election process.
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