KATHMANDU, JANUARY 7

CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli has accused Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba of offering the post of prime minister to partners of the seven-party alliance led by CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Addressing the party's orientation programme organised for newly-elected party lawmakers here today, Oli said that Deuba's remark 'We will come back' meant he would try to topple the government on January 10 when the government sought the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives.

Deuba is playing a cheap game of toppling the government.

He has been offering prime minister's post to alliance partners, Oli said and added that the alliance partners understood Deuba's intent that if the government failed for any reason, Deuba could become the PM as the Parliamentary Party Leader of the largest party in the HoR.

He said the NC would be involved in only one game in the next five years and that would be to oppose the government and try to topple it.

Oli said the NC, which had won only 23 first-past-thepost seats in the previous HoR, had formed its government due to some forces and individuals' effort and mistakes, and the party was again trying to pit the seven-party alliance partners against one another in order to take political advantage.

Oli's jibe was aimed at the CPN-MC and Madhav Kumar Nepal-led CPN (Unified Socialist) which had helped Deuba form the government.

Oli said his party wanted to guide the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government in a suitable manner. 'We want this government to adopt right policies. We do not want it to indulge in corruption nor tolerate it,' Oli said, ' We Nepalis have made this government and we have the responsibility of making it successful.'

Meanwhile, General Secretary of NC Gagan Kumar Thapa told mediapersons after the NC Parliamentary Party meeting here today that the news report of the NC offering premiership to a leader of a party was baseless, a propaganda. Some online media outlets had reported on Thursday that NC President Deuba had offered premiership to Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chief Rajendra Lingden.

Thapa said that neither the constitution allowed smaller parties to form the government at this stage, nor would the NC go for it. Thapa said it was obvious that his party, as the largest force in the HoR would play the role of a constructive opposition.

We will take a decision on January 10 when the PM seeks vote of confidence, but it is obvious that our party, which will be principal opposition, won't support the Dahal-led government, he added.

Thapa said his party would discuss the reasons for its failure to keep the five- party alliance intact, but in the HoR, the party would fight for its causes unitedly without letting internal differences impact its role in the Parliament.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 8, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.