Kathmandu, May 28: In the midst of a raging political crisis in Nepal, major parties today demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai for “unilaterally” dissolving the Parliament even as Maoist supremo Prachanda rejected such calls.
Prachanda said that the present Bhattarai-led government will not step down despite the failure to draft the Constitution by the May 27 deadline.
“Resignation of PM Bhattarai cannot be the alternative,” he said while addressing reporters at his party office here, soon after concluding the party's politburo meeting today. Prachanda, however, stressed on the need to form a national consensus government.
He blamed the reluctance on the part of Nepali Congress and CPN-UML to accept federalism based on ethnicity for the failure to promulgate the new constitution at the last hour. “They did not try to understand the sentiment of people who favour federalism,” said the Maoist supremo.
He also held the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML responsible for the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly as they did not lend support in the last-ditch effort to save it by declaring a state of emergency.
Prachanda said that there was no alternative to going for fresh polls in that situation.
Angered by Bhattarai's decision, leaders of the five political parties, including the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, described Bhattarai's unilateral move to hold fresh elections as “unconstitutional”.
“The Prime Minister's unilateral move to conduct fresh election by allowing to dissolve the most representative Constituent Assembly was aimed at capturing power and this has created frustration in the minds of the general public,” said a joint statement issued by five parties.
The leaders have demanded Bhattarai's resignation to help create an atmosphere of consensus and to find a way out of the present political crisis. “It has ended the politics of consensus and created a situation in which people's democratic rights are suppressed,” said the statement signed by NC vice chairman Ramchandra Poudyal, CPN-UML President Jhala Nath Khanal, Rastriya Janata Party leader, president of Madhesi Peoples' Rights Forum Nepal Upendra Yadav and leader of Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum Democratic Sharad Singh Bhandari.
They issued the statement Sunday mid-night after holding consultation with President Ram Baran Yadav, shortly after the Prime Minister's move.
The statement said there was no provision in the interim constitution to hold fresh constituent Assembly elections and demanded a national unity government.
The 601-member Constituent Assembly was elected in 2008 for a two year term with its tenure was extended four times. The Nepali Congress Vice President Poudyal has said that the Prime Minister was hatching conspiracy as he did not consult with other political parties before recommending the November 22 date for fresh Constituent Assembly polls.
There was no provision in the Interim Constitution to announce fresh Constituent Assembly election and an amendment to the Constitution was essential before announcing the Constituent Assembly polls, he pointed out.
Prachanda refuted the accusations that he has failed even though the Constituent Assembly was dissolved without drafting the constitution .
Prachanda defended the government move even as a dissident faction of his party led by Mohan Vaidya “Kiran” has been criticising him for the failure of the Constituent Assembly.
The Maoist chief said that his party's agenda could not be established in the new constitution due to lack of simple majority of his party in the Constituent Assembly. He, however, expressed confidence that his party will garner a two-thirds majority in the new constitution in the November 22 election to be held under Bhattarai's leadership.
As the landlocked country faced a power vacuum after parliament missed the midnight deadline to frame a new constitution President Ram Baran Yadav described the dissolution as “unfortunate and matter of serious concern and regret.”
Meanwhile, the President is reviewing the legality of the step. Faced with a massive constitutional crisis, the President remained huddled with legal experts. Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Nepal Pariwar Dal, Rastriya Janata Party have also withdrawn support to the government as soon as Bhattarai made announcement for the fresh polls.
The move to dissolve the parliament would leave Nepal under a lame duck deeply divided caretaker government, which has no mandate and no parliament to pass laws. The continued political instability in the country came in for sharp rebuke from the country's media, who described disbanding of parliament as “biggest blow to democracy in Nepal”.
“The political class stands discredited,” Republica daily screamed. The paper said, “Parties see election call as Maoist ploy to capture state powers.”
