Kathmandu, October 8

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has not taken any decision whether or not to give continuity to the CPN-Maoist Centre in his government, after the party forged electoral alliance with the CPN-UML.

Voices are growing within the NC that the PM should sack CPN-MC ministers.

CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal yesterday told party lawmakers that if the PM or the NC asked his party to leave the government, his party would do so but wanted guarantee that the parliamentary and provincial polls would be held on the stipulated date.

NC leader Gagan Kumar Thapa said his party leaders had advised the PM to sack CPN-MC ministers, but he did not think the PM had reached a decision on this so far.

“Ruling coalition partners are expected to maintain minimum dharma (norms) of being coalition partners. When a coalition partner forges alliance with the main opposition party, it should leave the government,” Thapa said and added that if the CPN-MC was concerned about the upcoming polls, then it could leave the government and continue supporting the government.

PM Deuba’s personal aide Keshav Joshi said that the PM had simple majority sans the CPN-MC’s strength in the Parliament, but as of today, the PM had not taken any decision about CPN-MC ministers. “But I cannot say what will happen tomorrow,” Joshi added in reference to the decision the PM could take.

Meanwhile, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Spokesperson Dilnath Giri said forging a democratic alliance had become necessary after the communist forces forged a left alliance.

Giri said his party had called a meeting tomorrow to discuss its participation in the Deuba-led government and in the democratic alliance.