KATHMANDU: CPN Maoist Centre on Tuesday announced that it has withdrawn support from the CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli-led coalition government, saying the Prime Minister's party was reluctant to implement the past agreements -- the gentlemen's agreement for the change of guard and the May nine-point agreement --  made with it.

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Dahal referred to the promulgation of new constitution and the pass agreements, and said his party always saw the need for national consensus.

He further wrote that the party's decision would help build the national consensus.

"...Our party saw the need for national consensus to implement the new statute, complete the remaining tasks of peace process along with the transitional justice, resolve the issues raised by Madhesis, Janajatis and Tharus, and provide relief to the people and carry out reconstruction of the country in the wake of the last year's devastating earthquake," he said in the letter.

" And the spirit of nine-point agreement that the Maoist party and CPN-UML forged in May was also national consensus," he added.

"But as the leadership of the existing government was not ready to implement the nine-point agreement and the three-point gentlemen's agreement, it would be politically inappropriate for our party to remain in this government. Thus, we withdraw our support from this government now."

"Also, we inform you that we have called back all our ministers from the Cabinet."

Prime Minister KP Oli had been keeping tab on the latest development and waiting for the Maoist party's official letter in his office at Singhadarbar, according to one of his aides.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the CPN-UML's leadership, the Maoist party had recently intensified internal and external talks to form a new government in its leadership.

Yesterday, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had met Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli separately.

With Deuba, Dahal had sought the Nepali Congress's support for the Maoist efforts to form the new government. Deuba, however, had said there was no possibility to form the new government in Maoist leadership in the existing state of affairs, pointing out that the Maoist party first needed to leave the UML-led government.

The Maoists had been demanding that the CPN-UML handed over the government's leadership to it as per the gentlemen's agreement made during the formation of the ruling alliance.

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