BUTWAL, Aug 26: Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said it would be better if Vice President Pramananda Jha resigned.[break]
"I resigned for the sake of civilian supremacy; it would be better if he resigns for the cause of linguistic rights," Dahal said speaking at a press meet organized by the Revolutionary Journalists´ Association, Abadh State Committee on Tuesday.
Dahal also said efforts are being made to forge consensus among the major political parties regarding the issues raised by his party.
Pointing out that taking the peace process to conclusion, drafting a new Constitution in the stipulated timeline and constituting a national government under his party’s leadership by restoring civilian supremacy are the main agenda at present, he said regular discussions are being held with the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML) in that connection.
He said the status-quo elements within the country and the foreign reactionaries were working to sabotage efforts at forging understanding among the major political parties son the topics raised by his party.
"Holding discussions in the Parliament on the step taken by the President with regard to the army chief row is the only alternative to resolving the misunderstanding seen among the political parties," he said.
The Maoist chairman also said that his party is serious so that the peace process and the task of writing the Constitution are not derailed. "Conspiracies are being hatched to drive away the Maoists from the peace process," he said.
Former Prime Minister Dahal said new equation on the formation of another government cannot move forward until the issues of civilian supremacy and correction of the President´s step his party has been raising are addressed.
"We haven´t discussed anything with Congress and UML about changing the present political equation. We are holding regular discussions with these parties only to forge consensus on the topic of civilian supremacy," he said.
Responding to a query regarding the UNMIN terming the incident of Maoist combatants coming out of the cantonments with arms as being in breach of the peace agreement, he said they have been moving around in cantonment vehicles and under security of combatants in the last three years with permission from UNMIN.
A dozen Maoist leaders arrived Butwal on Tuesday to attend a party workers´ training for leading party workers from the party´s Prabash Rajya Samiti, India.
