By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Saturday ruled out the return of the Maoists to the multi-party government before the crucial polls, dealing a blow to the hope that the political crisis paralysing Nepal would come to an end.
Koirala, known for his penchant to whip up controversies during his visits to his ancestral home in Biratnagar town in eastern Nepal, stuck to form on this occasion too. He made a statement that contradicts his trusted Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula and is bound to ruffle Maoist feathers afresh.
While wrapping up a three-day visit to Biratnagar, where he started his political career as a trade union activist in a jute mill, the octogenarian prime minister said the Maoists were proving to be anti-election and would not be recalled into the government till the twice-postponed election was held, Nepal’s official media said.
The diktat comes just a day after Sitaula, a senior member of Koirala’s Nepali Congress party, said the rebels, who had walked out of the government last month, would return to the cabinet soon after the Dashain festival.
Holding the Maoists responsible for the indefinite postponement of the constituent assembly election that was to have been held in November, Koirala said the rebels still revelled in the gun culture.
The premier said the abduction and disappearance of a journalist last month — an incident that created a furore in parliament — was due to the Maoists still resorting to arms.
Though the government has tacitly acknowledged the hand of Maoists behind the disappearance of TV journalist Birendra Shah from Bara district last month, it has failed to take action against the rebels or even make them disclose his fate.
Koirala also said that fresh election dates would be announced after consultations among the leaders of the ruling alliance and the Maoists.
However, it remains to be seen if the government would be able to do so in view of the Maoist opposition.
When the Dashain holidays end, Nepal’s interim parliament will continue a debate on King Gyanendra and his crown. The Maoists have already started the debate.
The rebels are asking for the immediate abolition of Nepal’s 238-year-old crown by holding a vote among the legislators. If two-thirds of the MPs agree, the king will become a commoner.
The Maoists are also asking for a proportional election system that they say would give greater representation to marginalized communities but is regarded as a ploy to improve their chances at the polls.
With Koirala rejecting both demands, the Maoists have threatened they will start a new revolt if they do not get their way.
The parliament session was extended to give time to the rebels and the prime minister to reach a compromise. However, Koirala’s stand Saturday rules out any capitulation on his side.
The prime minister was emboldened by the recent support by India, which said it would not recognise a parliament vote and urged Nepal to hold the stalled election at the earliest.