According to sources, Chand has so far declined to join the government, for two reasons: 1) he is a hardliner who has always pushed for people´s revolt and joining the government would raise doubts over his commitment to a revolt; 2) he is ambitious and doesn´t want to tarnish his image as a weak minister for a few months. [break]
"He would certainly join the government if doing so would help the revolution the party is bracing for. Since it will obviously not help the revolution, why are they pressuring him?" said one party leader close to Chand.
The Maoist hardliner is a popular figure among young party cadres and had taken on the responsibility of mobilizing youths during the so-called people´s revolt.
Those close to Chand smell a rat in Dahal´s move to send Chand into the coalition government.
"It is to dilute the party´s commitment to revolt. Dahal is playing a game to damage Chand´s reputation," said a leader from the hardline faction.
According to Chand´s associates, Dahal also doesn´t think that the party can seize state power through revolt, and he wants to block the party from going in that direction. "If Chand joins the government, his image would be damaged like those who have enmeshed themselves in dirty parliamentary politics."
Party sources say Chand turned down Dahal´s request to join the government the very next day after the prime ministerial election. Later Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal also asked him to join the government, but to no avail.
Previously also, Chand declined to become a Constituent Assembly (CA) member under the party´s proportional representation.
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