UML should join new govt: Gautam

CPN-UML leadership appears to be divided on whether the party should join the Maoist-led government to be formed within the next few weeks.

While most UML leaders have been saying that the party should only support
the Maoist-led government from outside, senior party leader Bamdev Gautam Monday said that party should be an active partner in the future government.

"UML should join the government. All the parties that have got people's mandate should be part of the government," Gautam said speaking at the Reporters Club. To make things easier for the UML's entry into the new government, the Maoists must stop intimidation and forceful activities, he added.

Gautam, who lost election from Bardiya district, insisted that the UML had not lost election and that the party could do well in the election if he were given a chance to devise election strategies.

He also made it clear that the UML was against any form of monarchy.

Speaking at the same programme, Maoist deputy commander Barsha Man Pun 'Ananta' said that his party was trying to convince other parties to join in the government.

He also revealed that the Maoist leadership was trying to meet King Gyanendra to make sure that the abolishment of monarchy is done without unnecessary hassle. However, no timeline has been set for such a meeting.

Likewise, Nabindra Raj Joshi of Nepali Congress said that a seven-party meeting should decide who should head the new government. "Parties need to come together to establish sustainable peace and democracy," Joshi, who won the election from Kathmandu-8, added. nepalnews.com mk Apr 21 08