Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, June 19:

The CPN-UML general secretary, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali Congress (Democratic) acting chairman, Gopal Man Shrestha, and Nepal Sadbhavana Party’s (Anandi) joint general secretary, Anil Kumar Jha, met NC(D) chairman, Sher Bahadur Deuba, at the police training facility in Maharajgunj today. But the effort to have all the top seven party leaders together went unrewarded as NC president, Girija Prasad Koirala, was “not available” although the decision that the top leaders must visit Deuba was taken yesterday. But there was a large section of political leaders who had meet the beleaguered leader with Nepal reportedly

telling Deuba that he had taken a good position against his victimisation and that the alliance was with him. Sources said that Deuba appreciated the decision taken by the seven-party alliance yesterday in which it had adopted a soft corner towards the Maoists. “I am not going to be bludgeoned into submission,” Deuba is reported to have told Nepal.