Kathmandu: Confirming after initial disclaimers that his party had struck a deal with Nepali Congress for new power sharing in Nepal, a top Maoist leader has said that former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala had failed to deliver his part of the bargain.
Senior Maoist leader CP Gajurel has admitted that Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala and Unified CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda had struck a deal for toppling the present coalition government in the country, at their meeting in Singapore.
However, Gajurel claimed that the Maoist had made a mistake to assume that the key to formation of a new government lay with NC president Koirala.
"On the basis of Koirala's role, our chairman Prachanda held talks with him in Singapore and the former gave the impression that there could be a change of guard," Gajurel was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times.
"But the possibility doesn't exist any more since other Nepali Congress leaders prevailed upon Koirala, forcing him to abandon the plan," Gajurel said while addressing a meeting in Hari in eastern Nepal, the paper said.
The confirmation of such a deal between Prachanda and Koirala from such a senior Maoist leader came two days after his party disclaimed that any secret pact had been struck for new power sharing in Nepal.
Under the deal which was prominently carried by the print and broadcast by the electronic media, Prachanda had promised to make the ailing NC leader Koirala as the new president of in place of incumbent Ram Baran Yadav, while Koirala had in turn assured his party's support for a formation of a new government in Nepal.
But from NC, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala denied the allegation saying "Girijababu doesn't need to be the president. He is a top leader and his job is to resolve all contentious national problems.”
Sujata who is the daughter of Koirala said no one can remove the incumbent President Ram Baran Yadav.
She stressed on the need for setting up of a high level political mechanism involving top leaders of the major political parties, including the UCPN-Maoist, which would assist in taking the peace process to a positive conclusion and draft
a new constitution as per schedule.
She, however, accused some of the leaders of his own party for working are against setting up such a political mechanism.
The junior Koirala assured that the UML led coalition will last till the constitution is promulgated by May 28, 2010.
PTI
First Published: Monday, November 30, 2009, 13:22