Kathmandu: The main Opposition Nepali Congress and CPN-UML on Saturday said they will soon launch an agiation to intensify pressure on Baburam Bhattarai-led caretaker government to quit.
"As the caretaker government has lost the trust and support of the people, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai should step down immediately and pave way to form a national consensus government led by Nepali Congress," Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala said.
"As democracy and national independence both are in danger, Bhattarai should quit the top post for the sake of protecting national sovereignty and democracy," he said.
Addressing the regional gathering of the party in the capital, he asked the Maoists to implement past agreements and understandings including the 12-point understanding reached among the political parties in Delhi in 2005 and the Comprehensive Peace Accord signed between the Maoists and the government in the past.
He asked the Maoist leadership to show political honesty and be a responsible political party without deceiving other political parties.
Holding the UCPN (Maoist) government responsible for the present political and constitutional crisis in the country, Nepali Congress general secretary Prakash Man Singh said that his party will launch agitation to topple the caretaker government.
There is a need to form a national government through national consensus for drafting a new Constitution and to hold fresh election in order to find a way out from the current political stalemate, he said.
This government has no moral and political right to continue and the country will be relieved from the crisis as soon as Prime Minister Bhattarai steps down, Singh said.
Meanwhile, CPN-UML, the second largest communist party, took to the street yesterday bringing tens of thousands of cadres and supporters in the street demanding resignation of Bhattarai.
Addressing the rally, UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal demanded resignation of Bhattarai claiming government`s anti-national activities posed serious threat to the national sovereignty and that the country was going bankrupt because of the Maoists` continuous loot of the state coffer.
He warned to launch intensified agitation by forging alliance with other political parties to remove Bhattarai government from power.
PTI
