NC, CPN-UML to boycott PM's all party meeting

KATHMANDU, July 10: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has called a meeting of leaders of all the 33 political parties represented in the then parliament for Tuesday. But the leaders of the main opposition parties Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML have announced to boycott the meeting.



"We refuse to attend the meeting on political as well as moral grounds as it was called by a government headed by someone who doesn´t deserve to be in that position," CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel told Republica.[break]



Also, NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat informed that his party will boycott the meeting. "NC and other opposition parties have decided to boycott formal meetings to be called by the government, the prime minister and any minister," said Mahat.



Mahat informed that they have already made their views on budget clear during the inter-party talks called by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other meetings and they have nothing new to say.



The opposition parties had earlier decided not only to boycott any formal event attended by the prime minister but also to protest against him at such events. Sister organizations of the opposition parties had waved black flags at Prime Minister Bhattarai at various functions including during his departure to Brazil and arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport.



The prime minister´s secretariat said Bhattarai called the meeting with a view to forge consensus on major contentious issues.



"The meeting will be focussed on forging consensus among the parties on various issues ranging from the new budget to holding new elections and ending the political stalemate," read a statement issued by the prime minister´s secretariat on Monday.



The prime minister´s aides said he is ready to make sacrificces for the sake of consensus.



"The prime minister will respect any agreement to be reached among the [political] parties and he is for moving ahead through consensus within constitutional parameters," said the statement.



This is the first all-party meeting taking place after the demise of the CA on May 27.



While the government has announced fresh CA elections for November 22, opposition parties have been demanding the prime minister´s resignation saying a caretaker government cannot hold the elections.



Also, there is a bitter dispute between the ruling and opposition parties as the latter have opposed the government plan to introduce annual budget for new fiscal year. They have said a new consensus government should bring new budget.

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