Kathmandu, April 16, 2008 Five cabinet ministers and two state ministers of the CPN-UML today tendered their collective resignations to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala in Baluwatar, citing that it was “inappropriate to remain in the interim government in the event of the people’s fresh mandate that did not back the party in the constituent assembly election.” The ministers who tendered their collective resignation include Foreign Minister Sahana Pradhan, Minister for Education and Sports Pradip Nepal, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prithvi Subba Gurung, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Chhabilal Biswokarma and Minister for General Administration Ramchandra Yadav. The two state ministers include Minister of State for Education and Sports Mohan Singh Rathaur and Minister of State for Agriculture and Cooperatives Nagendra Prasad Chaudhary. Talking to reporters, Foreign Minister Pradhan said that they collectively tendered their resignations as decided by a meeting of the party’s standing committee. “The PM asked us to rethink about our decision till the new government is in place,” Pradhan said, adding the PM was yet to accept their resignation. Meanwhile, top leaders of the NC and CPN-UML today held a crucial meeting assessing the post-election scenario at PM’s official residence, Baluwatar. Maoists want to lead a coalition govt, says Baidhya Kathmandu, April 16, 2008 Senior Maoist leader Mohan Baidhya said today the Maoists were in favour of a coalition government led by his party. “As the people have given us a clear mandate through the Constituent Assembly election, the CPN-Maoist must be allowed to lead the new coalition government,” Baidhya said at a programme at the Reporters’ Club. He said the people gave their verdict to the Maoists, as the people were looking for political and socio-economic changes. He hoped other big parties would think positively about joining a Maoist-led government. He said the biggest challenge ahead of them was to make a new constitution. Asked whether his party would bring a proposal to declare the country a republic, Baidhya said the first agenda of the CA was to implement the declaration of republic decided by the third amendment of the interim constitution. He dismissed allegations by the NC and UML that the Maoists rigged the election and said the elections used to be rigged in the then Panchyat system and later during the parliamentary exercise after 1990. NC leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat and UML leader Shankar Pokharel said that their respective parties would decide on whether or not to join the next government.