Oli will be PM's candidate: UML leader

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: CPN-UML politburo member Raghujee Panta today said that his party would propose senior leader K.P. Oli as the candidate for next prime minister if the Nepali Congress failed to give a consensual prime ministerial candidate from the party.

“If the Congress is unable to give the name, then our party will formally propose K.P Oli as the PM’s candidate,” Panta said at Reporters’ Club.

Nepali Congress Central Working Committee (CWC) member Arjun Narsingh K.C. said that the Congress would give a consensual prime ministerial candidate within next 10 days through the party’s CWC.

“Either senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba or vice president Ram Chandra Paudel will become the NC’s prime ministerial candidate. If the situation leads towards the third person, then it maybe party president Sushil Koirala or any other person,” K.C. said.

Panta requested President Ram Baran Yadav to call the parties for national unity government as per the Article 38 of the interim constitution.

Criticising Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s yesterday’s statement that if he was removed then there would be a repeat of incident like February 2005 (when then king Gyanendra assumed absolute power), Panta asked President Yadav to “give retirement to the PM immediately.”

K.C. said that the PM’s statement made it clear that he wants to capture power. “If the PM is not ready to give up the power, a massive movement would force out him,” he added.

Unified CPN-Maoist leader Agni Sapkota said, “Our party is ready to accept NC’s leadership in the government through consensus. However, the PM will not give up the power in vacuum without consensus among parties.” If the President removed PM Bhattarai, it will be a coup and the UCPN-M will react harsh against it, Sapkota said.

Expressing regret to the PM’s yesterday’s statement at airport, Sapkota said, “Our party chairman will call back PM Bhattarai if the parties reached consensus.”