Khanal fails to honor resignation pledge

KATHMANDU, Aug 14: Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal did not resign from his post on Saturday although he had committed himself in writing two weeks ago to do so by that day if there was no tangible progress in the peace process.



The prime minister´s office on Saturday evening said Khanal will make an announcement in parliament Monday. [break]



"The prime minister is holding discussions and consultations with various sides until the final hours as his self-imposed deadline is expiring today (Saturday)," said the press note issued by the prime minister´s press advisor, Surya Thapa. "In this context, the prime minister will put forth his views to the nation in front of the supreme people´s representative body, the legislature-parliament, as his commitment is also an issue for the House."



Khanal, at a press meet two weeks ago, categorically pledged that he would either settle the thorny issue of army integration including integration numbers, modality, rank harmonization and rehabilitation package, or step down. He had also reaffirmed his commitment before parliament on Wednesday.



Though the press note issued by Thapa hasn´t explicitly said whether or not he would step down on Monday, leaders close to the prime minister admit that Khanal will announce his resignation in parliament on Monday and will subsequently tender it to President Dr Ram Baran Yadav.



"He will make the announcement at the parliament meeting and tender the resignation to the president because there is no alternative left for him," former finance minister Surendra Pandey, an UML leader close to Khanal, told Republica.



Pandey said there is no way out for the prime minister as he has received no proposal from the Maoists with regard to settling the thorny issues in the peace process. An incumbent minister also confirmed that the prime minister will resign Monday.



The Maoists at a meeting of top leaders from the three major political parties held Saturday morning had clearly ruled out any possibility of coming up with a new proposal on advancing the peace process. "We had already submitted our proposal immediately after our party´s central committee meeting endorsed it," a participant quoted UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal as saying at the meeting.



The Maoist chairman had bluntly ruled out any possibility of any compromise though the prime minister had said at the meeting that the situation may become further complicated if he steps down under the existing circumstances.



"Some legal experts have told me that extending the Constituent Assembly (CA) term upon the proposal of a caretaker government may invite constitutional or legal complications," a participant quoted Khanal as saying at the three-party meeting. "Also, I had committed myself to passing on the baton to a national consensus government, not to a majority coalition."



Khanal had further said there had been no progress in the peace process as the Maoists didn´t come up with any proposal to settle contentious matters.



After listening to the prime minister, NC Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel argued that neither the Interim Constitution nor any law says a proposal for CA term extension by a caretaker government would be illegitimate. Paudel also suggested to Khanal not to worry about the situation after his resignation because there was a possibility of forming new government before the CA term expired on August 31.



Paudel said at the meeting that Khanal had better ponder what the people would think about leaders and politics if he doesn´t step down even after repeated commitments in writing to do so.



"This is politics of deception and can´t continue," Paudel told Republica.



The Maoist chairman had also clarified in front of leaders from the three parties that the prime minister made the announcement on his own without consulting the Maoists. "Some have speculated that I had suggested to him to set the deadline while others have accused me of advising him not to step down. Both claims are false. The prime minister did it on his own," Dahal had said at the meeting.



Dahal had clearly said that they (Maoists) wouldn´t discuss the contentious issues of the peace process at the meeting. One of the UML leaders present had then said, "In that case, the prime minister has no option left but to quit."



A leader close to the prime minister said though a meeting of major political parties including the Madhes-based parties has been called for Sunday there is little hope that they will come up with any solution.

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