Nepali Congress (NC) Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma has swatted away speculations that the main opposition party may join the government if ruling CPN splits.
There have been speculations that CPN Chairman and Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli has offered NC to join the government during his meeting with NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday. But Spokesperson Sharma has refuted that.
"There is clear mandate for Congress to remain in opposition for five years if anybody has illusion. We are, and will, therefore remain far from any distraction," Sharma has tweeted on Sunday. "We are absolutely indifferent about conflict in CPN. We, therefore, caution that nobody should dare count the heads of Congress in equation of this side or that."
PM Oli and the main opposition leader talked for almost three hours at Baluwatar after two Saturday afternoon, according to a source. Oli had invited Deuba apparently to discuss appointments in constitutional bodies and universities but the source claims that the two leaders also discussed the dispute in CPN and future cooperation for power if CPN were to split.
The source added that Deuba was accompanied by central member Ramesh Lekhak and Oli by Deputy PM Ishwore Pokharel.
The meeting between Oli and Deuba is considered meaningful even as the ruling party is on the verge of split. Oli had met Deuba and sent his confidants to meet the main opposition leader even when the dispute in CPN had escalated in July to scare his opponents in CPN.
