KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala, who lost the prime ministerial election to CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli on Sunday, said he contested premiership with an intent to bring the agitating Madhesi parties back to the Parliament and prevent the country from heading to separation.

The outgoing Prime Minister maintained that his party Nepali Congress believed in the parliamentary system and thus his candidacy was for healthy competition for the leadership of government as per the Constitution.

He said so speaking to Nepali Congress leaders and cadres gathered at Shashank Koirala's residence in Maharajgunj on Tuesday evening. The top Nepali Congress leader vacated the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar and shifted to Shashank's residence.

Koirala expressed his view that the democratic system would evolve when the parties with majority stay in the government while the minority in the opposition.

Though the major parties in the Constituent Assembly forged an agreement on the delivery of new Constitution, he said, the UCPN-Maoist stayed in the opposition in the Parliament earlier.

The notion that all parties in the Parliament should take part in the government was not practical as it was time for the implementation of new Constitution, according to Koirala, who served as Nepal's Prime Minister for 20 months.

Koirala stated that the Nepali Congress would play an effective role as the main opposition and support or protest the government for its performance based on the merit.

Speaking at the House on Sunday, October 11 prior to the prime ministerial election, Koirala, who was accused of breaching a gentlemen's agreement among top leaders of four parties and contesting the premiership again, had defended his candidacy saying it was a democratic practice.

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