New Delhi, March 15:

Former prime minister and Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala said today that he had no desire to topple the Maoist-led government.

Talking to mediapersons here before his departure to Kathmandu, Koirala said his advice to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal was to give priority to the writing of new constitution within the stipulated time.

“I am not concerned who is at the helm. My only concern is that there should be peace in the country,” Koirala said, adding, “But I fear that the Maoists are bent towards aborting the constitution-drafting process.”

He said the enactment of the new constitution was a must for peace, security and development in the country.

Koirala also said his party would play the role of a constructive opposition but would not join the government unless it addressed all the agreements signed between the political parties.

“I came here for my health check-up. I did not discuss political matters with anybody here. Indian political leaders are busy with the upcoming general elections,” Koirala said, adding,

“Those who came to see me inquired about my health. We didn’t discuss politics.”

Asked whether he had any meeting with former king Gyanendra, Koirala said he would have met Gyanendra in Nepal if he had to meet him.

“Gyanendra is a Nepali citizen and I, as a political leader, am not prohibited to meet him in the country. But I have not met him recently,” he added.

Earlier, Bal Krishna Pandey, general secretary of the NC-affiliated Nepali Janasamparka Samiti (NJS), submitted a memorandum to the NC president. Lauding the role of NC’s foreign department head Sujata Koirala, Pandey urged Koirala to make her the party general secretary.

Koirala’s physician Dr JP Agrawal said the NC president’s health was stable and satisfactory. Koirala also consulted Dr R Gualriya of All India Institute of Media Sciences.

Upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Koirala said Nepalis should solve the problems in the country by themselves.

“It is our own responsibility to solve our problems,” he told mediapersons, responding to a query about India’s role in Nepal’s ongoing peace process.