Kathmandu : Given an ultimatum by his own
allies, the Maoists, to reshuffle the cabinet by Sunday night
or face the withdrawal of their support, and pressured by the
opposition to quit, Nepal's beleaguered Prime Minister Jhala
Nath Khanal remained defiant, saying he would not step down.
Instead, the communist prime minister spent Sunday making
last-ditch attempts to save his five-month-old government,
holding repeated parleys with the opposition as well as
allies. |
|
|
The main opposition Nepali Congress was unwavering in
its demand that Khanal, who became the prime minister in
February after signing a secret deal with the Maoists,
must resign.
The top leadership of the Nepali Congress made this
clear at a morning meeting with Khanal. Later in the
day, its MPs kept up their blockade of parliament, which
they began obstructing since this month to ratchet up
pressure on the premier.
Khanal, however, remained defiant, saying he would not
quit till the major parties were able to name a new
prime minister who was acceptable to all.
This has remained a contentious issue since the fall of
the elected Maoist government in 2009, which forced the
subsequent prime minister, Khanal's own party leader
Madhav Kumar Nepal, to resign.
At that time, the campaign for Nepal's resignation was
led by the Maoists as well as Khanal himself.
Now it is payback time for Khanal, who faces a similar
situation.
Besides the opposition, he is also under threat from the
Maoists, the very party that helped him win the prime
ministerial election barely four months back in
February.
The Maoists are demanding that Khanal induct 24
ministers from their party by Sunday night or face the
withdrawal of their support.
To show they mean business, the former rebels Saturday
pulled out from the cabinet their 12 ministers, who
submitted their resignations en masse.
Though reports from the Maoists said that Khanal had
shown flexibility during the two rounds of talks he held
with Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda Sunday,
the fate of the government remained uncertain.
Prachanda held a surprise press conference Sunday
afternoon, defending his party against allegations that
it was waging a war for power at the cost of the peace
process and the new constitution, which has to be
promulgated by Aug 31.
He said the preliminary draft of the statute can be
completed by the deadline.
Post Comment
|
