Himalayan News Service

DHARAN/GULMI: A Nepali Congress leader today said
that fellow party leader and the sole prime ministerial candidate,
Ramchandra Paudel, will not withdraw his candidature from the race for
the top post even if he loses a hundred times.


Speaking at a party cadres’ gathering in Dharan, NC central
committee member Dr Shekhar Koirala made it clear that Paudel will quit
the race only after the political parties forge a consensus. Koirala
also urged the UCPN-Maoist, UML and the Madhes-based parties to come up
with an alternative to Paudel instead of demanding NC’s withdrawal from
the race, but hastened to add that his party is not ready to support a
UCPN(M)-led government government as it is yet to transform into a
civilian party. On a different note, the


NC leader said his party will never go with the parties that want to federate the nation on the basis of castes.


Warning that a disaster will occur if the Parliament fails to pass
the annual budget by mid-November, Koirala maintained that the
government need not appease any political parties to pass the budget.


“It is the the ruling party that should bring the budget, not the
opposition” he said, adding that NC, as a partner in the coalition
government, is ready to offer all possible help in bringing the budget.
Koirala also found time to talk about internal issues of NC. He informed
that those party leaders, who were defeated in the 12th party
convention, will be included in the central committee. “Those friends,
who were defeated, need not worry and those who won need not be excited
as we all belong to the same party.”


Meanwhile, Minister for Federal Affairs, Constituent Assembly and Culture Minendra Rijal


said in Gulmi that his party — NC — will not accept a Maoist-led
government until the Maoists shun the politics of violence and weapons.


He said the Maoists are under increased pressure to take the peace
process to a logical end, claiming that their activities are hindering
efforts to end the protracted political deadlock.

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