CHITWAN: Ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Co-chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that he could not imagine Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli not implementing the decision taken by the party's secretariat meeting. In a brief press meet organised by Press Association, Chitwan at Bharatpur Airport today, Dahal said Prime Minister and the party Co-chair KP Sharma Oli would follow the decision taken by the secretariat meeting about inducting its vice-chairperson Bamdev Gautam as a member of the National Assembly. The secretariat meeting of the NCP (NCP), on Wednesday, decided to request the government to recommend NCP vice-chairperson Gautam for nomination by the president to the National Assembly as one NA seat will soon fall vacant after the two-year tenure of Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada as NA member will expire on March 3. Dahal said that the secretariat meeting chaired by the chairmen duo, Oli and Dahal, had recommended to nominate leader Gautam as the NA member and therefore the decision would be implemented at any cost. Former prime minister Dahal clarified that the condition put forward by vice-chair Gautam that he would accept the party’s proposal to become an NA member only if the constitution was amended to make NA members eligible to become the prime minister has been taken back. On a different note, Dahal denied that he sat with industrialists at a dinner to discuss the removal of Finance Minister Khatiwada from NA. He refuted the allegation saying it was baseless and guided by vested interest. Meanwhile, Minister Khatiwada on Wednesday claimed that he would be retained as the finance minister even after his two-year tenure in the National Assembly ends on March 3. Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leaders are divided on whether the Cabinet should recommend Khatiwada or NCP vice-chair Gautam for NA membership. READ ALSO:

• NCP recommends Gautam for NA
• NCP recommends Bamdev Gautam to National Assembly
• Khatiwada confident of retaining FinMin post