Rupandehi, December 16:

Minister for Education and Sports Pradip Nepal said today that PLA personnel should be adjusted with the Nepali Army (NA) before the constituent assembly (CA) polls.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the Rupandehi chapter of the Press Chautari Nepal, he said, “As the 12-point agreement has also sought the adjustment of the PLA personnel, their adjustment should be done as per the demand of the Maoists.” Stating that there is no chance of a military coup in Nepal, he said, “By forwarding a proposal to work together with the royalists, the Maoists are talking in favour of the king.” “Only the Maoists are saying that the king is needed,” he said. The Maoists are demanding that they be allotted half of the CA seats, he claimed.

Nepal, also a central member of the CPN-UML, accused the Maoists of disrupting the polls slated for November because their demands were not met. “The Maoists demanded half the number of CA seats, but we refused to meet their demand.”

The Maoists had also forwarded a proposal to the CPN-UML for the formation of a front for the polls demanding half of the shares in the front, but the UML did not agree to the Maoists’ proposal, he said. The Maoists are also calling leaders of the parties to allot sufficient seats to them so as to ensure their victory in the polls, he claimed. “As the Maoists may create a problem even in mid-April, I have been suggesting the leaders to discuss the Maoists’ demands,” he said.

As the king is deprived of all his rights, he cannot create any problem, he said, adding there will be no crisis even if polls are not held. Nepal also inaugurated a building constructed by the Free Students’ Union of the Butwal Campus today.