The big three parties -- UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), and the CPN-UML -- held a meeting at the Maoist parliamentary party office at Singha Durabr on Sunday, but failed to reach any agreement to end the deadlock.[break]
During the meeting, the NC turned down the Maoist request to withdraw its prime ministerial candidacy, while the Maoists rejected the NC request to reach a political consensus in package.
"We could not reach any agreement as both parties rejected each other´s proposal," said UML General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel, who also participated in the meeting. According to him, the Maoists asked the NC to withdraw its candidacy for the sake of political consensus, while the Maoists rejected the NC proposal to reach consensus in a package that includes integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants, return of seized properties, and contents of the new constitution.
With the withdrawal by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal from the ongoing prime ministerial election, NC leader Ram Chandra Paudel has remained the sole candidate in the ongoing prime ministerial race. The Maoists and the UML have agreed to request the NC to withdraw the candidacy.
Maoist Vice chairman Narayankaji Shrestha said that his party requested the NC to withdraw the candidacy. But the NC said the party would not pull out of the race unless the Maoists agree to the issues of the peace process and constitution writing.
The NC has looked at the Maoist proposal suspiciously. "The change in the Maoist attitude has made us suspicious about the party," said NC leader Arjun Narsingh KC, "The Maoists said the political deadlock would end all at once if the prime minister resigns. Now they are demanding the withdrawal of NC candidacy." He argued that the parties should build an environment of trust at this moment rather than seeking withdrawal of NC candidacy.
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