Kathmandu, June 2:

Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi said today his party would help the Maoists form a government if they agreed to amend a constitutional provision related to formation and dissolution of government.

“It is a universal democratic norm for the largest party in the parliament to claim leadership of a government. At the same time, it is also a universal norm to form or dissolve a

government on the basis of a simple majority in the House,” Nidhi said at an interaction.

He said, “The recent remarks by Maoist supremo Prachanda are undemocratic, unconstitutional, apolitical and immoral.”

He said the Maoists have given up their goal of achieving a communist republic after such efforts failed in other countries.

He urged the Maoists to work to form a unity government or muster a two-third majority.

“The Maoists should do everything possible to win hearts, but they are busy visiting Gorkha palace,” he said.

Coordinator of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Upendra Yadav said it would be difficult for the Maoists to win other parties’ support without giving up their claim for the post of president.

As the constitutional provision governing the formation of government is the root of all political complexities, the Maoists must be ready to replace the provision with a

provision whereby a simple majority in the Constituent Assembly can form and dissolve government, he said.

“The crisis of confidence should cease and the Maoists should listen to others,” Yadav added.

Maoist leader Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ said the CPN-UML’s unclear

policy has given rise to current problems.

“If the CPN-UML had put forth its position clearly as the Nepali Congress has been doing, the

current political problems surfacing in the country could have been solved earlier,” he said.

“We want to prevent the creation of parallel power centres as the same may give rise to tussles,

which will eventually overshadow the major task of writing a new constitution,” Baidya said.

On Maoist chairman Prachanda’s remarks against the press, Baidhya said, “If the press has the right to criticise the political leaders, then the latter also have the right to criticise the press.”

CPN-UML leader

Pradip Gyawali said the Maoists should be ready to share key posts in the government.

He urged the Maoists to accept the existence of other parties and accord respectable positions to them.

Gyawali said the people’s mandate expressed through the polls is for a unity government and not for one-party government.