Kathmandu, April 10:

Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma today said the Maoists might quit the government if the seven-party alliance kept lingering in constituent assembly election process.

“There will be no meaning of our staying in the government if the seven parties do not accelerate the process of preparation for the election and keep searching for excuses to escape from the primary responsibility,” he said at the Reporters’ Club.

“There is no doubt the government must work in war-footing and must be able to hold the election on time,” he added.

He said if the government fails to hold election by June, it will be even more difficult for it to hold it in future as many domestic as well as international forces are conspiring to foil the polls.

Bishwakarma alleged that some elements in the seven-party alliance are active to protect the culprits of the Gaur massacre and trying to avoid the election.

CPN-UML leader Bamdev Gautam said that Nepali Congress is trying to save its face and throwing the ball to the Maoists’ court. “It is ridiculous for the general secretary of NC Ram Chandra Paudel to say that the Maoists would be responsible if the election is not held on time, after remaining in the lead position in the seven-party alliance as well as in the government,” he said.

He also said Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala would be responsible for not taking the poll date issue to the Cabinet after it was decided in the eight-party meeting.

“The people will raise question on the morality of the eight-party government if it comes up with different idea over the poll date,” he added.

NC leader Arjun Narasingh KC said though he belonged to the largest party in the seven-party alliance, he cannot buy the argument of the prime minister to hold “uncommon” election in the “uncommon” circumstances.

“No matter under which circumstance, no election can be uncommon, and polls cannot be held unless rights to movement, expression and organisation are secured,” he said.