CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal fiercely criticized Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai for "unilaterally dissolving the CA". [break]According to him, the prime minister took the move although his own party and other major political parties including Nepali Congress (NC) were for giving continuity to the CA in the form of transitional parliament by promulgating an outline constitution.
"We were for promulgating a brief constitution by incorporating all the issues settled so far and allowing the transitional parliament to decide the unresolved disputes but the Maoists didn´t accept the idea," said a statement issued at the press meet organized by the party on Thursday. Top leaders including Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, KP Sharma Oli, Bamdev Gautam, Bidya Bhandari and Ishwar Pokharel were among those present at the press meet. However, Vice-Chairman Ashok Rai didn´t turn up at the meet.
The third-largest party accused that the prime minister´s unilateral announcement for fresh CA elections was a part of the Maoist party´s strategy to capture the state through force and to impose dictatorship in the country.
Khanal said Prime Minister Bhattarai has no alternative but to step down and pave the way for formation of national unity government.
Asked if the UML was positive to reinstate the CA, he said it could be one of the alternatives to save the country from constitutional as well as political vacuum. "However, our first move should be toward forming a national unity government and then we can think about other things," Khanal said.
UML leaders argued that the Maoists leaders didn´t listen to the requests of CA Chairman Subas Nembang and leaders from other parties who lobbied until the last minute for giving new lease of life to the CA in the form of transitional parliament.
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