“During my talks with Girija Prasad Koirala on Sunday, we did not talk anything about supporting him to be the next prime minister,” said Dahal referring to some news reports which stated that he offered Koirala to be the next prime minister. He was speaking at a function at Maoist party headquarters in Perisdanda, Kathmandu, to welcome some 50 new entrants to the party.
Sources said that Dahal, who had a one-hour long meeting with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Monday, assured Nepal that he was not working with Koirala to change the government.
A source close to Nepal told myrepublica.com that Nepal had inquired Dahal about moves to form a new government under Koirala´s leadership. In response, Dahal said that changing the incumbent government is the least priority of his party. “Changing government is the fourth priority,” the source quoted Dahal as telling the prime minister during the meeting.
The meeting, first of its kind since Dahal stepped down on May 4 as prime minister protesting the president´s move over the army chief row, has been taken as politically meaningful in view of the Maoists already taking to street against the Nepal-led government. The Maoist party terms the current government as a “puppet” government. The Maoists have been showing black flags to Nepal in public functions.
During the meeting, the source further said, Dahal assured Nepal that the present government would not collapse due to the Maoists. Dahal further told Nepal that correcting the president´s move is the first priority of his party. According to Dahal, peace process and constitution writing are the third and the fourth priority of his party.
Their talks were also focused on forming a high-level political mechanism and ending other political deadlock, said an aide to the prime minister.
Earlier on Sunday, top leaders of the three major political parties -- Dahal of UCPN (Maoist), Girija Prasad Koirala of Nepali Congress and Jhala Nath Khanal of CPN-UML and the prime minister -- had underscored the need of immediate formation of such a mechanism at a tea party organized by CPN-UML.
Speaking at the function, Dahal also said that the current political deadlock will not last long. “The eclipse in Nepali politics will not last long. The ongoing negotiations will lead to consensus.” He argued that as the largest political party, the Maoist party should have the right to head the government.
Earlier speaking at a different function in Kathmandu, Maoist politburo member Netra Bikram Chand said that the draft of the resolution motion prepared by the ruling NC and CPN-UML is unacceptable to his party as it suggests that the presidential move reinstating the then army chief Rookmangud Katawal was correct. The Maoist chairman had stepped down as prime minister following the presidential move.
He said the Maoists are also preparing their own draft of a resolution motion and discussed with the NC and the UML. While arguing that the largest political party should lead the government, he said that the political parties should seek consensus in package in order to write a new constitution and take the peace process to its logical end.
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