"This caretaker government absolutely doesn´t have any authority to table budget," Bhattarai said. [break]
He also suggested that the budget either be tabled by a national consensus government formed by forging consensus among the parties or amend article 96 of the constitution to bring a partial budget to manage regular expenses of the government. "However, it´s better to bring full budget by forging national consensus government rather than amending the interim constitution," he opined.
Speaking to journalists at the Pokhara airport, Bhattarai accused the caretaker government for the delay in the passage of budget. He also termed the government “irresponsible”. "The government and parties in the current government are not serious toward forging national consensus despite our repeated requests."
Bhattarai also claimed that the Maoists were not responsible for the current situation. "Leaders have staged a farce by failing to elect a new prime minister even after holding 13 rounds of election," he argued.
Stating that his party withdrew Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal´s prime ministerial candidacy in a bid to forge consensus, Bhattarai challenged the CPN-UML to vote for NC prime ministerial candidate Ram Chandra Paudel and bring full budget. "If the possibility of consensus is slim, CPN UML can support Nepali Congress to elect Paudel as the new prime minister," he said.
Bhattarai also argued that the recent visit of Maoist commanders to China was not against any agreements. "Army and police officers have also been to foreign countries," Bhattarai said "If they are allowed to travel abroad, why not the Maoist combatants," he questioned.
Bhattarai also claimed that the care taker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal cannot take any action against Maoist commanders as he himself is in a weak position.
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