CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel has claimed that the party did not betray Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Deuba had negotiated with UML which had reportedly agreed to form government with NC if CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal were to break the then ruling coalition over not getting the post of prime minister (PM) first.
But UML, it has now been revealed, had also been negotiating with Maoist Center and agreed to make Dahal PM if he were to end the then coalition.
In a video interview with Setopati, Pokharel has claimed that UML supported Dahal only because NC wanted to form the new government as per Article 76(3) of the Constitution that gives the post of PM to the leader of the single largest party in the House.
“We had asked Deuba if he was in the mood to form the government as per Article 76(3) of the Constitution, and told him that it will be difficult for us to support him if that were the case. In that sense, it cannot be said that we lied,” he has contended implying that UML would have supported Deuba if he had made efforts to form coalition government as per Article 76(2) of the Constitution.
“But Deuba seemed intent to corner Dahal as far as possible assuming that the process will get into 76(3) if Dahal does not accept. That could be seen clearly and has not been hidden. They did not even propose to UML for coalition. They were not ready to listen, when we sent a person telling them to send a solid proposal if they want UML’s support for their government.”
He has also refuted speculations that China brought UML and Maoist Center together to form the current government. “It was Deuba, if anyone, who brought us together. Why do you look outside? Dahal was for continuing the then coalition. Congress becomes arrogant when it is strong. They refused to make Dahal PM. We received information that NC demanded both PM and president. It was, therefore, Deuba who created the situation. Deuba himself sent Dahal to us. It was Deuba who indirectly brought us together.”
He has revealed that Dahal himself proposed to UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli for taking turns as PM and Oli agreed the proposal. “UML would naturally get president and speaker in that case. Dahal then asked what would happen to speaker while changing PM and proposed even to take turns for speaker. We have said we should discuss about that.”
He has also claimed that UML has not discussed about the candidates for president and speaker. “We are not for non-political individuals as is discussed outside. We will make someone who has contributed to the democratic movement of Nepal, has suffered, and is established in the society and can play the role of the country’s guardian the president. We don’t have the agenda of non-political (appointment),” he has elaborated. “There are many friends/leaders inside UML with different specialties. One out of them would be made president but we have not entered that subject now. We cannot say this or that when we have not entered.”
He has also emphatically refuted speculations that UML and CPN (Unified Socialist), formed after split in UML, will unify and Unified Socialist Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal will be made president.
“We don’t have interest in that thing now. I don’t think our politics has reached a stage where one who has played a negative role will be honored,” he has quipped. “It is another thing if he were to play a positive role in the important issue of national politics at some point. It will be wrong even ideologically to give him the most respected post of country now when he has continuously played a negative role.”
