Nepal PM wants another deal to quit office
Nepal’s embattled Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has sought a fresh deal among political parties as pre-condition to stepping down from office.
Nepal’s embattled Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has sought a fresh deal among political parties as pre-condition to stepping down from office.
Reacting to growing clamour for his resignation, Bhattarai thinks it is the best way out of the present deadlock following dissolution of the Constituent Assembly in May.
“A new agreement is needed to find a solution to all national issues. I will step down only when such a deal happens,” he told media persons in an interaction at his official residence on Friday.
Bhattarai feels that the five-point deal among the ruling Maoist-Madhesi combine and opposition Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) is no longer relevant.
The deal signed in May had stipulated that Bhattarai government would step down and a national unity government headed by Nepali Congress would be formed before promulgation of the new constitution.
But with CA getting dissolved without a new constitution, Bhattarai has refused to budge from office till fresh elections while opposition wants his ouster as the only way out of the impasse.
Following dissolution of CA, the PM had announced fresh elections in November. But with the caretaker government failing to clear several procedural hurdles regarding elections, polls on time seems unlikely.
“Electing a new CA to draft the constitution within six months and functioning as parliament for the rest of its tenure is the best option now,” Bhattarai stated.
However, NC and CPN (UML) have refused to take part in elections till Bhattarai resigns and a new government is formed. They are also suggesting possibility of reviving the old CA for a brief period to draft the statute.
Amidst all these, President Ram Baran Yadav, whose role has become crucial following the CA dissolution, has called a meeting of major parties on Sunday to find a way out of the present mess.