Addressing the parliamentary party (PP) meeting at Singha Durbar, Khanal argued that as the largest party UCPN (Maoist) and Nepali Congress (NC) are standing at opposite poles with their ´rigid´ stances, only the UML can play a coordinating role in the formation of new coalition. [break]
"The NC´s intention is to head the new government with the present coalition intact. They are for forming the new government even if the Maoists don´t join the alliance," Khanal shared with his colleagues. "But I ´m not in favor of as such an arrangement as it would only replace the prime minister and ministers with new faces."
While criticizing the NC´s position, Khanal, who is also the PP leader of the third largest party, also ruled out the possibility of forming new government in Maoist leadership.
"There is no possibility of forming Maoist-headed government until the issue of Maoist combatants is resolved and they [Maoists] fulfill the past commitments on disbanding paramilitary structure of the Young Communist League and returning the seized properties," he said.
Khanal claimed that in such a scenario, only the UML could be a natural force that can bring the parties together and forge consensus.
He said that despite various problems with Maoists, they are not UML´s enemies. "Politically Maoists are not our enemies. They are our friends. We can coordinate with them once we do some hard work with a broad mindset," he said.
Khanal also informed parliamentarians that leaders from other political parties were positive toward forming UML-headed government. "So far, I talked to CPN (Marxist-Leninist), CPN (Samyukta) and Madhesi People´s Rights Forum and they are ready to support us," he said.
He said he expects positive contributions from individual levels from all parliamentarians of the party toward that end.
While Khanal urged the parliamentarians to individually play a constructive and positive role for the success of party leadership´s efforts, the members strongly urged him to lobby for national consensus government.
Almost all of the 12 lawmakers who spoke at the PP meeting said that the leaders have no moral ground to take initiative toward forming majority government as the UML´s senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has just stepped down to pave the way for formation of national consensus government.
"Notwithstanding that the government was commanding clear majority of parliament, our senior leader (Madhav Kumar Nepal) resigned from the post not for anything else but just for the sake of national consensus government," lawmaker Ram Nath Dhakal said.
Urging Khanal not to be lured by the offer he has got from other parties in recent days, Dhakal suggested Khanal to stick to the idea of forming consensus government. "If the UML firmly stands in its stand to form the consensus government, there is no possibility of forming majority government," he said.
Other lawmakers Ravindra Adhikari, Netra Panthi, Deepak Karki and Yamlal Kandel echoed the view. Adhikari said the UML leaders would have no moral ground to actively support formation of a majority government.
"We parliamentarians may go against the party instruction, if the leadership issues whip to stand for new majority government," Panthi said.
Some UML parliamentarians, including Dhirendra Shrestha, Adhikari and Kandel, urged the leaders not to nominate those defeated in the election for the new cabinet.
UML-led govt impossible: Bhattarai
Maoist vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai on Saturday ruled out the possibility of his party supporting the CPN-UML headed government.
"We will not see any fundamental difference in politics if we support another UML leader for the post of prime minister as Madhav Kumar Nepal from the same party has resigned," said Dr Bhattarai talking to reporters after meeting with UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal and Bharatmohan Adhikari at Pushpa Kamal Dahal´s residence.
Dr Bhattarai´s response comes at a time when rumors are rife that Maoist chairman is for lending support to UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal rather than supporting another leader from his party.
thira@myrepublica.com
Related story
Khanal, Nembang victorious in Ilam
-1778465739.webp)
