- We will take action against Katawal and you have the right to protest: Maoists to NC
- UML proposes probe into two top generals in connection with coup
- Bilateral meets to continue, UML leaders to meet Koirala, Maoist leaders again
(Updated with details, 1835 NST, 1350 GMT)
KATHMANDU, April 29: Top leaders of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on Wednesday ruled out a possibility of compromise on action against Army Chief General Rookmangud Katawal. [break]
During rounds of bilateral and trilateral meetings with second largest ruling partner CPN-UML and main opposition Nepali Congress, Maoist leaders said they were firm on taking action against Katawal but still wanted it to be executed through consensus among the major parties.
"If you don´t support action against Katawal, we will take action against him and you can continue protesting it," Prime Minister and UCPN (M) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was reported to have told Nepali Congress at the meeting held at CPN-UML parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar.
Emerging out of the trilateral meeting, UCPN (M) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said, "We are firm on our stance for taking action against the Army Chief."
The Maoist leaders said they wanted to deal with all contentious issues including implementation of past agreements and formulation of new constitution and content of the constitution in a package but insisted that beginning of the solution should start with Katawal´s ouster.
"We have almost common views on dealing the issues in a single package but we want that the action against the the Army Chief be taken immediately and the issue should not be lingered," he said.
But Nepali Congress outrightly rejected the Maoist proposal. "We rejected the Maoist proposal," said party vice president Ram Chandra Poudel.
Another NC leader and party spokesperson Arjun Narsingh KC said Prime Minister Dahal had even proposed to reach a fresh agreement "of a new height" but NC leaders insisted on implementation of the past ones.
After Maoists and NC could not reach a consensus, CPN-UML leaders elaborated how the alternative of removing top two generals and defence minister from their offices could bail the parties out of the problem.
The alternative proposed by the UML, however, was rejected by both Nepali Congress and the Maoists. "Maoists are flexible on the issue of picking the third senior most general as Army Chief but the Nepali Congress has consistently stuck to its stance for withdrawing action against Katawal," said a UML leader. "We even proposed for independent probe into the allegations against Army Chief Katawal and Lt Gen Kul Bahadur Khadka but the NC did not like to listen to our proposal."
The UML leaders said hopes were still alive for finding a meeting point between the Maoists and Nepali Congress. "Our leaders, party chairman Jhala Nath Khanal and senior leader Madhav Nepal are going to hold meeting with Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist leaders again to convince them to agree on a middle point," said UML general secretary Ishwar Pokharel.
"Agreement to meet again is an achievement towards narrowing down the differences," said Pokharel.
"Such meetings could go for one or two days," said Maoist leader Shrestha.
After the three-party meeting, senior Maoist leaders Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Mohan Baidya and senior UML leaders Jhala Nath Khanal and Madhav Nepal on discussed what could be their bottom line on the issue. "But the bottom-line is yet to be explored," said Baidya.
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