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Kathmandu Tuesday February 06, 2001 Magh 24, 2057.
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Oppn formally demands PM's resignation
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Feb 5 - The leading opposition parties today
handed over a memorandum to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala seeking his resignation
over the Lauda Air deal and the deteriorating security situation in the country.
Leaders and representatives of the CPN-UML, Rastriya
Prajatantra Party (RPP), National People’s Front (NPF), Nepal Workers and Peasants
Party (NWPP) and United People’s Front (UPF) marched from Sundhara to the prime
minister’s office, Singha Durbar, and handed over the document.
"The country cannot move ahead any more under the
leadership of Prime Minister Koirala. His government has failed to provide security to the
people and is steeped in corruption," CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal
told reporters after handing over the memorandum.
After taking the document, Koirala told the opposition
members that he would review the charges and give serious considerations to them.
"The prime minister has not set any time deadline on
when he would respond but has assured us he would think over our proposal," Nepal
said.
The opposition parties, that are represented in the
parliament, had decided to jointly pressure Koirala to quit. "This was our first move
we had all decided upon. We will be deciding soon when and if we will take further steps
to press for his resignation," he said.
"Since all the opposition parties and a big section
within the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) is demanding the prime minister’s resignation,
we can conclude that it is the voice of the people," Nepal said. "How can he
deny such a mass outcry?"
This group has also initiated discussions with other smaller
parties including the Group of Nine Leftists, the umbrella group of nine smaller Leftist
parties.
The only party in the opposition that was not present today
was the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP). Nepal said all the representatives of the party were
out of town but they have already assured their support for the quest.
Our reporter in Janakpur has however quoted NSP Chairman
Gajendra Narayan Singh as saying that the party would not be seeking the prime
minister’s resignation.
"We will not be seeking the prime minister’s
resignation but are demanding for a high level committee to investigate into the Kathmandu
incident (riot)," Singh said.
Other parties present said they would stick together to push
forward the issue.
"We all are different parties with different views, but
we have come together for a cause. We will not go different ways when it comes to this
issue," said RPP Chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa.
The move comes just days before the Winter Session of
Parliament convenes. When the House does begin the session, the prime minister is likely
to face tough opposition.
The prime minister too is being questioned over the now
infamous Lauda Air deal that cost the job of Tarini Dutta Chataut, who was forced to quit
as the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation over the controversial deal.
And, as the leader of the cabinet that endorsed the deal, the
opposition members are pointing fingers at the prime minister too, demanding that he take
moral responsibility and step down.??
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