KATHMANDU, May 15:Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Saturday in a TV interview that he doesn’t have any interest in becoming prime minister in the near future.
“If a chance arises for the Maoist party to lead a national consensus government our party will formally decide who will lead such a government but personally I do not wish to become prime minister,” said Dahal in an interview aired by Himalaya TV this evening.
In the interview, Chairman Dahal further said: “I do not wish to become prime minister but want to see that the peace process and constitution writing move ahead and the country attain stability. Beside this I don’t have any wish, fancy or aspiration to become prime minister” [break]
Dahal instead said he would prefer to continue at the leadership of the Maoist party. He said that there was a possibility of contesting for the post of the country’s president if the new constitution adopted a provision to directly elect the head of state as championed by his party.
Dahal further said that if the opportunity arose for his party to lead the government he wished to see some other Maoist leader becoming prime minister.
Replying to a question as to who he sees as the next prime minister from the Maoist party, Dahal said, “There are many personalities in our party who deserve to become prime minister; there is Babauramji… Kiranji would have been the first choice but he is not a CA member… then there is Prakashji and General Secretary Badalji. All of them deserve to be prime minister; they are established leaders and have the stature to become prime minister. But I haven’t made up my mind who among them should be the prime minister.”
Asked if he was ready to accept Baburam Bhattarai as prime minister, he said, “There is no reason why he shouldn’t be prime minister.” Dahal complained that there are allegations in the media he doesn’t wish to see Bhattarai as prime minister.
“I feel pity for the allegations. Because of his [Bhattarai’s] role in the party and in the peace process and since Kiranji is not in parliament the role of government leadership naturally goes to Baburamji,” he said, adding, “I therefore never thought that Baburamji should not be prime minister.”
Dahal also informed that his party and the NC were in informal dialogue and expressed confidence the two parties would reach an agreement on the peace process before May 28.
He said that there was no alternative to extending the term of the Constituent Assembly and expressed hope that the term would be extended unanimously.