“It is a simple truth that every politician wants to reach the highest position of power. But I don´t want to make things complicated by posing myself as another prime ministerial candidate as four or five persons are already in the race. I declare once again that I have quit the race,” said Bhattarai while talking to a group of journalists at his residence in Sanepa. [break]
He said he would become a prime minister through the support of the Nepali people, not through the backing of any foreign powers.
Bhattarai said foreign interferences alone should not be blamed for the current political deadlock in Nepal. “Even Israel influences the foreign policy of America,” he said adding that such interferences are found everywhere in the globalized world. His remarks are in stark contrast with the views of party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal who has time and again complained that he was prevented by India from becoming the next prime minister.
Dahal is for declaring India as the party´s principal enemy, while Bhattarai is for declaring "domestic feudalism" as the principal enemy.
When asked if he was prevented in Biratnagar from holding a meeting with cadres, he said: "There may have been such attempts. But nobody prevented me from meeting the party cadres."
News reports stated that there were attempts by party´s other factions to stop Bhattarai from meeting the cadres to disseminate his political ideology in the run up of the party plenum in Gorkha where he is supposed to present a separate political document.
Commenting on the current situation, Bhattarai stated that the parties should first reach a package deal on the peace process and constitution drafting and agree to a national consensus government to implement it.
The Maoist vice chairman expressed concern that the peace process and constitution-drafting have stopped being the issues of the day and that focus has shifted to government leadership.
According to him, mutual mistrust among the political parties is responsible for the prolonged political deadlock and the parties should sit for serious talks once again and strike a deal to conclude the peace process and constitution drafting within the next seven months.
According to him, the coup by then king Gynendra brought the Maoists and the political parties close, and without monarchy they are now moving apart. “There is a black hole ahead and the danger of being sucked into it should bring them closer again,” said Bhattarai adding that only through political compromises the political parties can save the country from slipping into a civil war.
He said the Maoists are ready for compromises. “We came to this process after realizing that we alone cannot effect the changes we envisioned, and after we joined hands with the political parties, we could realize some remarkable changes in the country. We are for compromises. But the political parties should not think they can finish off the Maoists,” he said.
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