KATHMANDU: Shambhu Thapa, ex-president, Nepal Bar Association and one of the busiest and prominent lawyers in the country, has rejected the UML-led coalition’s offer to be the new Attorney-General (AG). “I’m not hankering after for the post. I don’t see any point in accepting it at this point in time,” Thapa told The Himalayan Times. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s close aid and lawyer-turned-CA member Agni Kharel confirmed the government’s offer to Thapa. “We approached him for the job. I personally called him and urged him to assist the government. I suggested to the PM and senior leaders that he would be best suited for it,” said Kharel. He, however, pleaded ignorance why Thapa refused. The AG’s post fell vacant after Raghav Lal Vaidya, who was appointed by former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, resigned in deference to new PM Madhav Kumar Nepal’s wishes. UML is now discussing the names of alternatives candidates - Bishwo Kanta Mainali, Lila Udasi, Ram Prasad Shrestha, Khem Narayan Dhungana, Narendra Pathak and Govinda Parajuli - for the prestigious post. Indra Kharel, Thapa’s close and president of Supreme Court Bar Association, said that he would accept the post on one condition - if the parties could forge a consensus on his candidature. “He is not interested to be a personal advisor to the PM. He may accept the offer if there is a consensus among the coalition partners,” he explained. While, Kharel maintained that he might still take up the job if the Nepali Congress and Madheshi Janaadhikar Forum, along with other allies, did not object to his appointment.