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No Nepal constitution without Maoists' govt: Prachanda

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Feb 26, IRNA -- Maoists supremo Prachanda has threatened to stall the promulgation of a new constitution if Nepalese political parties continue to oppose the formation of a "national unity government" led by his party.

Prachanda, the chairman of the United Communist Party of Nepal-(Maoist), said constitution-drafting is the main priority of his party at the moment.

However, he said a Maoist-led unity government is a must for the promulgation of the statute.

Prachanda, the first Maoists prime minister, said the new constitution would not be promulgated until there is a national unity government led by the UCPN-Maoist.

He told his supporters at a school, where he had been a teacher three decades ago, in Gorkha district that discussions for a national government is going on within the high-level political mechanism, PTI reported.

The mechanism was formed to push forward the stalled peace process.

The political parties are deadlocked over the Maoists' demand to rectify the decision of President Ram Baran Yadav, who reinstated General Rukmangad Katawal, the then Army Chief dismissed by the Maoists premier last May.

The Maoists have demanded that the president publicly admit that he acted "unconstitutionally" when he reversed the decision by the Prachanda-led government to fire the army chief.

They then want the government disbanded, followed by the formation of a new coalition government led by them.

He underlined that the three large parties -- main Opposition UCPN-Maoist and ruling coalition partners CPN-UML and Nepali Congress -- would take initiatives soon for such a government to ensure that the constitution is drafted on time and the peace process brought to a successful conclusion.

The political leaders are struggling to meet the May 28 deadline to finish the drafting of the new constitution as stipulated by the 2006 peace process that brought the decade-long civil war to an end.

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End News / IRNA / News Code 980989