Kathmandu: Top leaders of Nepal`s main opposition party Nepali Congress and the breakaway faction of the Maoists met on Saturday to discuss ways to intensify pressure on Baburam Bhattarai and stressed on the need to launch an agitation to force the caretaker prime minister to step down.
The meeting was attended by Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala and CPN-Maoist chairman Mohan Vaidya, among others.
During the meeting, the leaders stressed on the need to launch an agitation to pressurise Bhattarai to quit power and pave way for a a national consensus government, Nepali Congress sources said.
The leaders of the two major opposition parties agreed during the meeting that the Bhattarai-led caretaker government had no authority to hold fresh election to the Constituent Assembly.
They also underlined the need to hold a round-table conference involving all the major political forces of the country to find a way out from the current crisis.
During a meeting of the four major political forces recently, the opposition parties asked Prime Minister Bhattarai to quit the top post and help in forming a national government to end the ongoing political crisis, Nepali Congress general secretary Prakash Man Singh said.
"Prime Minister Bhattarai should first resign from the post to pave way for formation of a national consensus government before going to the fresh poll," he pointed out.
During the meeting CPN-UML leaders had proposed formation of a national government led by Nepali Congress before heading to fresh elections.
"A deal has already been reached among the major parties to form a Nepali Congress-led election government, so we have proposed discussion on the issue of forming an NC-led government among top leaders," said senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Maoist spokesman Agni Sapkota said that they are ready to discuss about change in government once a package deal is reached among the parties to resolve contentious issues relating to the constitution drafting through negotiations.
Nepal`s political parties failed to promulgate a constitution within the extended period of four years of the Constituent Assembly, which was ultimately dissolved on May 27.
Though Prime Minister Bhattarai had announced fresh polls towards third week of November, the Election Commission had expressed inability to hold polls in absence of election- related rules and regulations.
PTI
