The NC leadership claimed that the party had frustrated the UCPN (Maoist) despite the latter´s strong presence in the 601-member CA on some crucial issues such as the president´s election, the Maoist-headed government´s attempt to sack then army chief and appointment of a new head priest in the Pashupatinath Temple.[break]
“Despite the Nepali Congress´ minimal presence in CA, the party´s role was effective and we succeeded in foiling the ruling [Maoist] party´s plan to impose autocracy and toppling the Maoist-led government. NC also succeeded in the president´s election, in the army chief row and the controversy over appointment of new head priest in the Pashupati Temple,” said a political paper presented at the party´s central working committee (CWC) meeting on Wednesday. After endorsement by CWC, the document will be presented at a Mahasamiti meeting to be convened in Nawalparasi later this month.
Though NC secured only 114 seats in the 601-member CA, the party´s candidate Ram Baran Yadav was elected the president defeating the candidate proposed by the Maoists. UCPN (Maoist) had 237 members in the legislature.
Then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had proposed to sack then Army Chief Rookmangud Katawal and appoint Kul Bahadur Khadka to the post but his plan was foiled by the president following pressure from various opposition parties, including the NC and CPN-UML.
NC leaders also claimed that the party had succeeded in bringing former Maoists´ arms and armies under the state control by vacating the cantonments.
The NC´s political document is also critical of the CPN-UML. It also held CPN-UML and Madhes-based parties responsible for NC´s defeat in the prime ministerial election. “The legislature remained indecisive for seven months as the UML and Madhesi parties made a mockery of parliamentary culture by not casting their votes despite being present in the House,” stated the report.
NC leaders claimed that holding elections and drafting the constitution had been possible when NC was in majority in the past. “But this time, the country couldn´t get a constitution as the leftist parties ran the government for the last four years,” it stated.
The party has also vowed to stand against ethnicity-based federalism. It has said the provinces should be delineated based on the formula of “establishing identities of all and healing wounds of conflict”.
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