Kathmandu, May 2 (Inditop.com) Nepal’s embattled Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal found himself caught in a tightening vice Sunday as his own partymen began a campaign for his ouster even as the opposition Maoist party began an indefinite general strike nationwide to press for his resignation.
Sixty office-bearers and senior leaders of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), including Sahana Pradhan, former foreign minister, submitted a memorandum to the party chief, Jhalanath Khanal, asking him to quit the coalition government.
The rebel communist leaders said the country was being pushed towards civil war by royalists, foreign powers and regressive forces, who were manipulating the party for their devious design.
They said though the nation needed an agreement among the major parties to address the main task of drafting a new constitution by May 28 and take the peace process forward, the prime minister’s address to the nation Saturday had failed to strike a note of reconciliation.
Instead, they said it had widened the rift between the ruling parties and the Maoists.
The campaign to quit the government is being led by dissident communist leader and former home minister Bamdev Gautam, who is regarded as being close to the Maoists.
Last month too, the prime minister’s own party MPs had begun a signature campaign for his ouster. However, the movement was abruptly snuffed out.
The prime minister has so far refused to resign, saying his government enjoys the support of two-thirds of the MPs in the 601-seat parliament and challenged the Maoists to remove him constitutionally if they can.
All eyes are now on party chief Jhalanath Khanal. If he supports the dissidents, it may lead to the prime minister’s reluctant ouster.
If he bolsters the beleaguered PM, it will lead to the prolonging of the current stalemate and the Maoist strike unless the guerrillas are persuaded to call it off.
