Kathmandu, August 15 :

Leaders of the NC and the NC (Democratic) said at a programme held at the Reporters’ Club today that they had realised the need for unity.

Stating that spadework is being done for the unification of the parties, joint general secretary of the NC Dr Ram Baran Yadav said top leaders of both the parties were holding meetings to expedite the process. “The unification will take place within two days to two months,” he said.

Shashank Koirala, an NC central committee member, said NC president and PM Girija Prasad Koirala will return to the capital in a week and the preliminary process for the unification would follow shortly.

“Though central-level leaders are convinced of the need for the unification, there are still some problems in local-level organisations concerning posts and responsibilities,” he said, adding, however, “When we are united by heart, posts will not matter.” “The unification should be respectful and there should be no room for suspicion,” he said.

A leader of the NC-D, Chiranjibi Wagle, said the president of the “unified” NC will be none other than Koirala himself. “There will not be squabbles for posts, he said, adding, “But we must be clear why we are opting for the unification.”

Another leader of the NC-D, Homnath Upadhyaya, said, “Koirala will remain president of the unified party, the four-starred flag will continue to be our flag, and the tree will continue to be our election symbol.”

“The unification will be useless if we opt for it just to give birth to more factions. Unification will be meaningful if it is the unification of the hearts too, and not the parties alone,” he said.

“The two parties have not done homework for the unification,” said another NC-D leader, Dr Minendra Rijal, adding, “Meetings between leaders alone will not take the two polarised parties in one direction.”