UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and NC President Sushil Koirala during a meeting held on Monday evening took the decision to forge consensus on the budget through a joint meeting.[break]
According to Koirala´s aide Laxman Dhakal, the joint meeting will also discuss ways to resolve the current political deadlock, including formation of a national consensus government. "[Pushpa Kamal] Dahal has taken positively the NC´s proposal to resolve differences among parties through talks," said Dhakal.
During the meeting, Koirala had conveyed to Dahal that it would be unacceptable to the opposition parties including NC if the caretaker government unilaterally brought a full budget. "NC has taken initiative to hold talks with various political parties for consensus. I have taken this positively. We will bring a full budget through consensus," Dahal told media persons after the meeting.
Dahal had reached Koirala´s residence in Maharajgunj for talks shortly after Koirala´s meeting with the top leaders of the newly-formed CPN-Maoist, including Chairman Mohan Baidya. During the meeting, Koirala and Baidya agreed to protest the government´s move to bring a full budget.
"Koirala said it is not appropriate for a caretaker government to bring a full budget. We hold similar views on the new budget. The prime minister has to bring the new budget only in consensus with other political parties," Baidya told Republica.
On the occasion, Baidya also asked Koirala to accept his party´s proposal to hold a round-table assembly of political parties, ethnic and regional forces to resolve the current political deadlock.
"While agreeing to our proposal, Koirala said it would be feasible if the assembly included only political parties," Baidya added. The CPN-Maoist has proposed that parties could reach an agreement to revive the Constituent Assembly once the contentious issues of the new statute are resolved through round table assembly.
Earlier in the morning, Koirala had held a meeting with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav and urged him not to endorse a full budget brought by the caretaker government without political consensus.
Addressing a function organized by NC Kathmandu District Committee to mark the 89th birth anniversary of late Girija Prasad Koirala in the capital Monday morning, Koirala argued that the caretaker government can neither hold the Constituent Assembly (CA) election nor bring a full budget. "The prime minister should step down immediately to pave the way for formation of a national consensus government," he said.
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