Calls their efforts to form the eight-party alliance courageous
KATHMANDU, MARCH 3
Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa said that the NC would remain committed to the eight-party alliance led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Addressing an orientation for lawmakers of the eight-party alliance today, Thapa said in a veiled reference to the CPN-UML that the NC would not be enticed by anybody.
He said rumours were being spread that the NC would form a new government after presidential election scheduled for March 9.
"This time I was also involved in the formation of the new alliance. NC will remain committed to the terms of the alliance for five years. Nobody should try to entice or tease the NC," Thapa said adding that fulfilling commitments was also a matter of credibility of the NC and other parties.
Thapa joined NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba in lauding the role of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chair Madhav Kumar Nepal for making the eight-party alliance possible. It was because of Dahal's firm decision to revive the old alliance that the eight-party alliance was formed. "Had Dahal cared for the post of prime minister, he would not have formed this alliance. The CPN-MC would have the post of vice president and the UML could have done anything to let Dahal run the government for a full five-year term," Thapa said, "Had Dahal not been courageous and revived the old alliance, the new alliance would not have been formed.
Yesterday NC President and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had also praised Dahal and Nepal for their role in formation of the eight-party alliance.
The NC General Secretary said although the PM faced the charge of changing his political stance very quickly, Dahal's decision to revive the alliance with the NC was a mature. All partners of the eight-party alliance should tell this to everybody from the top to the lower levels of the party structure.
Thapa also said the CPN (US) Chair Nepal would have got the chance to become the president or he could have also been offered the UML chair, but it was because of his decision that the formation of the eight-party alliance was possible.
He agreed that NC had made a mistake, but said that at the time the new alliance was formed, NC never thought of forming alliance with big parties and undermining the importance of fringe parties.
Thapa said the UML was trying to mislead people by saying that some partners of the eight-party alliance, particularly the CPN (US) and Loktantrik Samajwadi Party-Nepal were positive about the UML candidate for President. "Such false propaganda was not heard even during student union elections," he added.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 4, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
