Dahal keen to head new government

Kathmandu, May 4

Country’s politics took a new turn today as the Unified CPN-Maoist, a coalition partner in the KP Sharma Oli-led government, decided to form a new government under its own leadership.

A meeting of the UCPN-M’s office bearers held here took a decision to this effect.

UCPN-M Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal later issued a press statement urging all political parties to form a new government under his party’s leadership.

He also conveyed his party’s decision to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and urged him to help form a new national consensus government under his party’s leadership, said Dahal’s Personal Secretary Jokh Bahadur Mahara.

In the statement, Dahal criticised the CPN-UML leadership for failing to address the major issues of the country.

Dahal said his party had helped form the government keeping the issues of national independence and pride, completion of remaining tasks of the peace process, settling of political issues through dialogue, including the implementation of the constitution and the reconstruction matters of central focus but the government failed to make result oriented efforts on those fronts despite his party drawing the government’s attention repeatedly.

“In this situation, as main opposition Nepali Congress has also proposed and agreed to form the government under our (UCPN-Maoist) leadership, we appeal to all parties, including CPN-UML, RPP-Nepal and Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic (that are in the incumbent government), to form new government under our party’s leadership and be part of process of bearing common responsibilities,” Dahal said in the statement.

Later in the evening, a meeting of the UCPN-M Standing Committee endorsed Dahal’s statement issued in the morning.

UCPN-M SC member Haribol Gajurel said his party would seek UML’s support to form government and his party had not discussed anything about registering a no-trust motion against Oli-led government.

Gajurel said one major reason for the UCPN-M’s disenchantment with UML-led government was that the government did not help resolve the issues of the peace process. “Increasing number of our leaders and cadres are being arrested,” he said.

Meanwhile, the CPN-UML held an emergency meeting of its Standing Committee to discuss the meaning of Dahal’s statement and potential withdrawal of support to the government.