A Standing Committee meeting of the party held late evening Thursday decided to quit the government if the Maoists went ahead with their plan to sack army chief Rookmangud Katawal, according to UML Secretary and Standing Committee member Shankar Pokharel.
"Any decision taken against the army chief without political consensus will be unacceptable to the party," he said, after the meeting.
The CPN-UML had been exerting pressure on the Maoists and the main opposition Nepali Congress to find a middle point to settle the dispute. The Maoists who had been insisting for immediate sacking of the army chief delayed the action after they failed to get UML´s clear support.
UML´s strong stance against the government action has put the ruling Maoists under tremendous pressure to withdraw the action against Katawal. Almost all the political parties in the Constituent Assembly including the Nepali Congress have strongly criticized the Maoist move terming it as an attempt by the Maoists to impose totalitarian rule.
Katawal had been asked to clarify his "defiance" against government instructions last week. He has given a detailed reply to the charges against him.
While the Maoists want Katawal removed before taking up other issues, the NC is against the idea. The UML has proposed removing Katawal, the second man in the army Lt. Gen. Kul Bahadur Khadka and Maoist Defense Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa. The other two parties have rejected the proposal.
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