MAHENDRANAGAR: UCPN-Maoist vice chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai today said there was no alternative to a national government led by his party to end the political stalemate in the country.

Claiming that the statute drafting and peace process could not move along hand in hand without inclusion of UCPN-M, he stressed the need of such a government. However, as a prerequisite to joining the government, he said that the step taken by the president was to be corrected in the first place.

"As the UCPN-M had the mandate of the people in the CA poll, it has all the rights to lead the government," he said.

“No other party has the status of leading a national government,” he argued, speaking at a press conference organised here by the Kanchanpur chapter of Revolutionary Journalists' Association.

He said that the first step towards the formation of such a government was the dissolution of the incumbent one.

He also said that his party's ongoing stir was for establishing civilian supremacy.

He also termed the President's move as a 'coup' and said, "People's movement will intensify if the regression is not corrected."

Meanwhile, he also said that conspiracies were afoot to disrupt the peace process.He also criticised Prime Minister Nepal as a puppet. "Preparations are underway to import weapons from India, secretly, which is against the peace process,” he said.

When asked about the integration of PLA fighters, Bhattarai said the PLA integration and statute draft should take place simultaneously.

Stating that his party always advocated for press freedom, Bhattarai said, "The press is free when journalists control the press, however, such is not the condition in Nepal."