In response, Koirala sought support from the UML, saying the NC has already been wholeheartedly backing the UML-led government and it was now the NC´s turn to lead the government.[break]
Khanal urged Koirala that the UML would not hesitate to support a NC-led government if the NC can take the Maoists along. "Meaningful Maoist participation in the new government is essential to deliver peace and the constitution. Therefore, be ready to accept the leadership of whoever succeeds in bringing them on board," UML central committee member Yogesh Bhattarai quoted Khanal as saying. The meeting between the two party heads was convened at Koirala´s residence Thursday evening by a dozen youth leaders from the NC and the UML.
But Koirala argued that with the NC leading the new government it would be easy to counter the Maoists ideologically and to bring them into democratic practice. "Since both the Maoists and the UML have already led the government, it is the NC´s turn to head the new coalition," NC central committee member Badri Pandey quoted Koirala as saying.
The youth leaders had urged the top leaders to promote institutional relations among the major parties and to discourage some leaders´ intentions of capitalizing on intra-party feuds, which are rampant in each of the political parties, to fulfill their personal ambitions.
Khanal argued that neither a Maoist-Madhesi coalition nor a non-Maoist coalition government can deliver peace and constitution and that the NC and UML must engage the Maoists in the new government to accomplish both tasks within the given time.
Youth leaders Ghanshyam Bhusal, Prakash Jwala, Thakur Gaire, Purushottam Paudel and Yogesh Bhattarai from the UML and Chandra Bhandari, Surendra Pandey, Shankar Bhandari, Badri Pandey, Jivan Shahi and Jivan Pariyar from NC were present during the Koirala-Khanal meeting.
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