KATHMANDU, JULY 30
CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said the five-party ruling coalition will continue after the provincial and parliamentary polls.
Addressing the party's training programme today, Dahal said the coalition of democratic-left forces was created with the special objectives of protecting the constitution, republican order, nationality and democratic values and norms. Besides, this coalition will also complete the peace process.
He said the chances of creating a socialist centre by bringing together left forces were slim. "We have not even initiated dialogue to create a socialist centre. We have discussed seat sharing arrangements and the possibility of contesting the provincial and parliamentary elections with one election manifesto," Dahal said.
He said the NC being the largest force among coalition partners, had reason to lead the government.
"Our experience in local elections was not good," he said hinting that his party did not get the kind of cooperation they expected from the Nepali Congress. Dahal said all coalition partners should get their share of benefits in the upcoming elections and no one party should try to get the lion's share of benefits. He said the CPN-Maoist Centre lost 50 local levels that it had won five years ago. Had it been able to retain those local levels this time, his party would have emerged the second largest party.
Dahal added that the chances of his party emerging as the first left party and second largest party of the country were high. I have told the NC that it should help us emerge as the first left party. If that happens, things will be easy in the future, he added.
Expressing his desire to become prime minister again, Dahal said his election politics would probably be the last inning, but he wanted to achieve development goals so that future generations could remember him for his contribution.
Dahal said the election results proved that there was only one Maoist force and that was CPN-MC.
The Netra Bikram Chand-led and Mohan Baidya-led Maoist parties have no strength at all. If there is any Maoist force in the country, it is us.
Baburam Bhattarai is not a Maoist anymore so there is no need to talk about him, Dahal said.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 31, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
