CPN-UML leader Shankar Pokharel has ruled out CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal becoming either the next prime minister (PM) or chairman of the unified party as Maoist Center demands.
"You must understand first. The issue of party (unification) and government cannot be mixed," Pokharel, a confidant of UML Chairman Oli, told Setopati in an interview. "Party unification is an independent issue. It is not that the parties are being unified because we won the election. Unification may have happened even if we were in the opposition. We are not unifying merely because we won," he argued.
Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has already briefed party leaders in the headquarters meeting that he will tell UML Chairman Oli that a single individual cannot be both PM and chairman of the united party. Dahal assured fellow leaders on Tuesday that he will demand leadership of either the government or the united party during discussion with Oli. "If they lead the government, we will lead the party and vice versa," Maoist leader Mani Thapa quoted Dahal as saying in the meeting.
He denied that the two parties had an agreement before the election that chairman of one party will become PM and that of the other chairman of the unified party in case of victory. "We did not even enter the issue of what to do after party unification. We discussed that the parties can take turns to lead the coalition government if unification does not happen instead. The issue of taking turns has been envisioned only for the situation when the parties are not united. There will be work division, not taking turns, when the parties unify," he stated.
Pointing that Dahal has already announced Oli will become the next PM understanding the people's psychology, he professed that there will be joint leadership until the general convention for unification is held. "There is generally joint leadership until a certain period in a unification process," Pokharel said. "Both sides are mingled but look different. They get together at a single place but have different colors. It is a transition period until the general convention," he added.
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