Kathmandu, Aug 6

Newly elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today said that it was still a challenge to keep the nation’s unity intact by strengthening democracy and winning the trust of all indigenous communities.

“The constitution has been promulgated, but we still face challenges in implementing it with amendments,” he said. Dahal was speaking at a gathering of CPN-Maoist Centre’s Gorkha-Kathmandu Liaison Forum.

Stating that the country could plunge into constitutional and political crisis if it failed to hold local, provincial and parliamentary elections within January 2018, the PM expressed his commitment to address the aspirations of the people.

In his attempt to avoid criticisms often faced by Nepali ministers and Prime Ministers for wasting time in attending inaugural programmes of any sorts, the PM said he feared that he’d be unable to serve national interest and aspiration of the people by only attending such programmes.

“I am in favour of talking less and working more. I wish I could work towards fulfilling people’s aspirations instead of only attending inaugural programmes of any kind. But I will always be in need of people’s cooperation,” he said.

Dahal, who is also the chairman of CPN-Maoist Centre, directed his party cadres to move ahead with the feeling that the party had already become a number one party after unification of 10 different Maoist parties.

He also expressed commitment to take diplomatic relations with India and China to new heights.