NC-CWC's CRUCIAL MEETING
Koirala, Bhattarai stress unity for candidate of PM

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, July 20: Both the seniormost leaders of the Nepali Congress hinted today at reaching to a consensus and an unanimous decision in choosing the party’s new leader in the parliament, who will become the next prime minister.

An emergency meeting of the ruling party’s Central Working Committee was held this morning to deal with situation after the resignation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

Party President and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai spoke about the efforts of making unanimous choice for selecting new Parliamentary party leader at the Central Working Committee party that sat at the Prime Minister’s residence at Baluwatar.

The CWC, however, has formed a three-member election committee with CWC member Basu Risal as convenor and Laxman Ghimire and Kul Bahadur Gurung as members. Former party spokesman and CWC member Narahari Acharya is the observer of the election committee.

The election committee will hold election soon after it finalises all the necessary procedures in case the party’s apex body fails to hammer out a solution in making a unanimous choice for parliamentary party candidate.

"Efforts must be made for an unanimous choice for the parliamentary party leader and I will support any person, who is nominated unanimously," Koirala, who presided today’s meeting, said after the meeting.

Emphasizing a need for such consensus in choosing the candidate, Bhattarai said: "To reach at consensus in a friendly way would consolidate unity in NC." Bhattarai, however, said that the party must follow the norms and values of democratic process heartily in case of an election for the parliamentary party leader.

However, Bhattarai told the media after the emergency meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee today that he would not stand if there is an election for the party’s parliamentary leader.

NC General Secretary Sushil Koirala said that efforts are on to find out consensus in choosing the candidate. The NC general secretary said that if the consensus in choosing the candidate fails, the would-be leader would be decided by an election. Sushil said that in case election takes place, he would surely field himself as one of the candidates.

"If the party comes to an unanimous decision regarding the choice of the parliamentary leader, I will accept it but if there is election I am a candidate."

NC leader Khum Bahadur Khadka said that a consensus is likely to be reached by Sunday and if there was no consensus by then election would be held.

Stating that the Nepalese polity has been pushed into a state of uncertainty with the resignation of Prime Minister Koirala, NC CWC member Ms. Shailja Acharya said that election will become necessary if the joint efforts fail to spot the parliamentary party leader.

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