KATHMANDU, June 29: Top leaders of major political parties at a 25-party meeting held in the Constituent Assembly (CA) building at New Baneshwar Tuesday traded accusations over implementation of the three-point agreement reached a few hours before extending the CA term on May 28.
While Nepali Congress (NC) Parliamentary Party leader Ram Chandra Poudel argued that point number one in the three-point pact needed to be implemented first, UCPN (Maoist) leaders insisted on the prime minister´s resignation as per the third point. [break]
The first point is on forging consensus for accomplishing the remaining tasks of constitution writing and the peace process. The second point is on extension of the CA term and the third states that the prime minister would be ready to immediately step down to pave the way for formation of a national consensus government.
"The second point has already been implemented. Now the prime minister should step down, abiding by the third point of the pact," Maoist Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai told reporters afterwards.
He said there was no point in the NC and UML insisting on implementation of the first point as its significance was only that of a preamble. "Only two points -- second and third -- can be implemented," he said.
Accusing the NC and UML of violating the agreement, Bhattarai urged leaders from the two parties to show honesty by sincerely implementing the agreement.
Asked what the Maoists would do in the upcoming budget session, he said no way out can be sought since every issue was interlinked with the prime minister´s resignation.
After that UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal said there was no point pushing the prime minister into resigning as he was quite ready to resign. Replying to Khanal, Bhattarai said "The resignation letter is not for keeping in the pocket. It is for tendering to the president."
Khanal urged parties not to divide into for and against the budget as that is something essential for the country.
Chairman of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) Upendra Yadav said," The prime minister should step down to pave the way for national consensus." He also said that presentation of the budget by the present government is not acceptable.
While leaders from the three largest parties argued and counter-argued, leaders of other parties at the meeting claimed that either the big parties should recommend a consensus candidate for prime minister or they would select a leader from among the 22 parties.
The parties also held other rounds of inter-party meetings Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Planning and Works Bijay Gachchhadar, along with eight other ministers, held separate meetings with NC Parliamentary Party leader Poudel and UML Parliamentary Party leader Khanal, in the morning.
DPM, ministers seek support for budget
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Planning and Works Bijay Gachchhadar, along with eight other ministers, held separate meetings with NC Parliamentary Party leader Ram Chandra Poudel and UML Parliamentary Party leader Jhala Nath Khanal, Tuesday morning.
The eight ministers from the coalition government present at the meeting with Khanal were Dr Minendra Rijal, Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, Dambar Shrestha, Prem Bahadur Singh, Mahendra Prasad Yadav, Sarvendra Nath Shukla, Thakur Sharma and Indra Prasad Dhungel.
Minister Singh said they urged leaders to either come up with an alternative to the present coalition or give full authority to the government to present the budget.
According to Singh, the ministers argued that the leaders should either be able to replace this coalition with a national consensus government or give full support to the present cabinet to pass the budget.
"We repeated this view at separate meetings with Khanal and Poudel, at the 25-party meeting and at the 13-party meeting at the UML party office," Singh said.
At the 13-party meeting, MPRF Chairman Upendra Yadav was also present. He is against the incumbent government presenting the annual budget.
thira@myrepublica.com