Leaders from the two parties vowed to be prepared for fresh elections without being confused by different proposals from UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.[break]
CPN-UML leader and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said there would be no talks on reviving the Constituent Assembly (CA) in the days to come.
"There is no point of debating over CA revival or any other options. Now, there is no alternative to fresh elections," Nepal told reporters after the two-party talks held at a hotel in Baneshwar on Wednesday evening. "We shouldn´t waste more time being bewildered by Puhspa Kamal Dahal´s ever-changing proposals."
NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat said the two-party meeting drew a conclusion that they should head for new election by forming a national consensus government.
"Any negotiation over CA revival has become completely irrelevant and we decided not to enter into such discussions now onwards," Mahat told Republica. "Holding of fresh elections has become imperative and forming new election government should be the first step toward that."
Lately, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been lobbying for reviving the CA and promulgating new constitution through the body. However, leaders from NC and CPN-UML stand divided over the issue. While NC President Sushil Koirala is against reviving the 601-member jumbo house, other two leaders - Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Paudel from the same party are for resurrecting the Assembly.
Though Deuba was not present at the two-party talks, Paudel was there. According to leaders present there, Paudel didn´t object to the two-party decision to go for fresh polls.
"There is no objection to the decision from any leader from the two parties because resolving disputes in constitution writing has become unlikely," Mahat explained.
Also, the opposition parties concluded that UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai were the main stumbling blocks in forging consensus among the major political parties and decided to pile pressure on them to be ready for national unity government by launching massive protests.
"Leaders from both the parties were on the view that they must launch massive protests to bring the Maoists to their knees," UML leader Raghuji Pant, who was present at the meeting, told Republica. "We will take to the streets after Dashain and Tihar festivals."
President Koirala, Vice-President Paudel and other leaders Prakash Man Singh, Krishna Sitaula and Ram Sharan Mahat from the NC and party chairman Jhalanath Khanal, former Prime Minister Nepal, Bamdev Gautam, Ishwar Pokharel and Pant from the UML were present at the two-party talks.
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