Cabinet fails to decide on Katawal

(Updated with details at 1225 NST, 0940 GMT)

KATHMANDU, April 22: The cabinet failed to take any decision on the fate of army chief Rookmangud Katawal after major coalition partners differed on the course of action.

The cabinet was attended by Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Sadbhavana Party and Communist Party of Nepal (United). [break]

Madhesi People’s Rights Forum boycotted the meeting, citing their party’s meeting.

Sadbhavana Party (SP) Chairman Rajendra Mahato told myrepublica.com that he finally decided to attend the cabinet meet to register his strong protest on action against the army chief. “I told the prime minister that our party is not in favor of any action as this would only aggravate the situation.”

Mahato also said his party wanted politics of consensus, not of confrontation.

At Singha Durbar, Minister for Information and Communication Krishna Bahadur Mahara told journalists that the meeting decided to provide copies of the clarification furnished by Katawal to all the ministers and take decision on the issue in another cabinet meeting.

UML does a see-saw over cabinet meet

UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal had urged the prime minister to postpone the cabinet meeting, saying his party was yet to decide on the issue, said a UML leader. Nepal then tried to convince the UML members in the cabinet to skip it.

A UML leader told myrepublica.com that Deputy PM and Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam called party chairman Jhala Nath Khanal – who is in China – on what to do next. Khanal asked the ministers to attend the meeting. The UML chief is cutting short his visit and returning on Thursday*.

The UML source said that Maoists have proposed suspending the army chief and appoint Lt. Gen. Kul Bahadur Khadka as the acting chief of army staff.

MPRF boycotts cabinet, holds emergency meeting

Madhesi People’s Rights Forum did not attend the cabinet meeting. The party’s ministers, instead went to their parliamentary party office to hold emergency meeting, Bijay Gachchhedar told myrepublica.com.

President assured of consensus

President Dr Ram Baran Yadav is fully assured that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will live up to his reiterated promise that he would decide on the army chief’s fate after forging consensus, a close aide said Wednesday.

"The president believes that the prime minister will move ahead on the clarification given by the army chief by taking everyone into confidence," the aide told myrepublica.com. "This includes all the political parties, including those in the opposition, as well as the president."

In the 40-minute-long meeting between the president and the prime minister at the president’s office at Shital Niwas Wednesday morning, the latter reiterated his assurance that the cabinet would take the next step only after securing consensus.

(Yuvraj Acharya and Ghanshyam Ojha contributed to this report.)

* corrected.