Madhav Nepal calls up Pranab Mukherjee

Amid a fresh deadlock over government-formation in Nepal, its veteran Communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who is projected to be the Prime Minister called up External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and briefed him about the latest developments in that country.

Amid a fresh deadlock over government-formation in Nepal, its veteran Communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who is projected to be the Prime Minister on Tuesday called up External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and briefed him about the latest developments in that country.

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During the telephonic conversation, Mukherjee said India wanted stability and democracy in Nepal, sources said.

Nepal apprised Mukherjee about the developments in his country where Maoists are preventing formation of the new government, they said.

Madhav Nepal's party CPN-UML, the third largest in Parliament, has claimed the support of 351 lawmakers in the 601-member Constituent Assembly that would give it majority to form a government under Nepal.

However, Maoists, who have been isolated, are preventing it by disrupting the functioning of Parliament and hence prolonging the constitutional crisis in the country.

The alliance of 22 parties, including Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and Madhesi People's Rights Forum, had submitted their letters of support to Speaker Subhas Nembang on Sunday, claiming a majority and seeking a vote to end the two-week deadlock over government-formation.