Kathmandu: Nepal`s main opposition party NC
has said it may join a national consensus government if
Premier Jhalanath Khanal amends the 7-point power-sharing deal
he reached with Maoist supremo Prachanda which was "against
the spirit of peace and Constitution-writing process."
If the Prime Minister is ready to review the deal reached
between him and Prachanda, the Nepali Congress can consider
the option of joining the coalition government under him,
Nepali Congress (NC) leader and ex-deputy premier Sujata
Koirala said.
All political parties should work together to forge
understanding and collaboration to draft a new Constitution
and complete the peace process, she said.
There is no relevance of the seven-point agreement
reached between the two Communist parties -- CPN-UML of Khanal
and CPN-Maoist of Prachanda, Koirala maintained.
She insisted that the Nepali Congress may join Khanal-led
government if he is ready to find out a new basis of
understanding among all political parties in order to complete
the task of drafting a new Constitution and concluding the
peace process.
Claiming that the seven-point agreement was against the
spirit of peace and Constitution-writing process, she said the
Maoists should not be given the portfolio of Home and Defence
ministries in this situation.
Three Madhesi parties from the Terai region bordering
India have also taken strong exception to the seven-point
agreement, amid reports that the "secret" pact includes
provisions such as sharing of the Prime Ministerial post
between Khanal and Prachanda on rotational basis.
The Nepalese opposition parties agreed that such an
agreement not only violated the spirit of 2006 Comprehensive
Peace Agreement (CPA), interim Constitution and various other
pacts reached in the past, but also undermined the
constitutionally formed Special Committee for Supervision,
Integration and Rehabilitation of the 19,000 former Maoist
combatants.
They claimed the agreement to share the Prime
Ministerial post on a rotational basis aims to establish the
hegemony of the two Left parties.
Prime Minister Khanal has, however, dismissed reports
that he had agreed to hand over power to Prachanda as part of
the "secret" deal.
PTI
