By NNN-Nepal News
Kathmandu : Five years after opting for different paths, Nepali Congress and its splinter faction Nepali Congress (Democratic) are close to forging unity.
Agreeing on the unification after a protracted “unity talks” between the taskforces of the two parties formed to find ways for the same, Prime Minister and NC president Girija Prasad Koirala and NC (D) president Sher Bahadur Deuba Monday signed on the “final paper” presented by the joint taskforce of the two parties after settling the contentious issues that had stalled the unification process in its meeting held Sunday.
The joint taskforce had presented the final report to the two leaders Monday morning.
However, the formal announcement of the unification between NC and NC-D would be made on Tuesday.
After a meeting with PM Koirala in Baluwatar in the morning, Deuba told reporters that the formal announcement of the unification would be made Tuesday.
“The joint Central Working Committee CWC meeting of two parties would be held tomorrow afternoon and make the formal announcement of the unification,” a visibly excited Deuba said after coming out of PM’s residence where the two leaders had engaged in the meeting.
NC sources informed that a joint CWC meeting of the two congress would be called tomorrow and ratify the unification proposal.
The NC Mahasamiti meeting has been postponed for some hours, as the leaders were busy with unification talks. According to sources, the meeting will only discuss the unification issue and the unified Congress will hold fresh round of Mahasaiti meeting, which will decide the party’s agendas for the upcoming constituent assembly.
Meanwhile, Maoist chairman Prachanda has said the Maoists will not return to the government unless there is “new political understanding”.
Prachanda told reporters after a function organised in the capital to announce the unification between the CPN (Maoist) and CPN (MLM) that only a new cabinet formed on the basis of new understanding would bring the Maoists back to the government.
Mentioning that bilateral and multilateral discussions were going on, Prachanda claimed that a new political agreement was likely within a few days.
The Maoist chairman’s statement came as his party prepared to call the special session of the interim parliament for pressuring the parties to declare republic from the parliament.
The Maoists had quit the coalition government last week after the parties failed to meet their 22 demands, which include announcement of republic and fully proportional election system for the upcoming constituent assembly polls.