Ram Kumar Kamat

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Kathmandu, May 15

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today told members of the presidium of Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal that he would hand over power to Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba this week.

The PM told this to the RJP-N leaders when they went to talk to him about constitutional issues and the second phase of local polls scheduled for June 14. The PM also told RJP-N leaders that he was committed to handing over power to Deuba as per the gentleman’s agreement reached between the CPN-Maoist Centre, of which he is the chairman, and the Nepali Congress.

RJP-N leader Rajendra Mahato said the PM also told RJP-N leaders that his government, which would work as the caretaker government after he resigned from his post, would bring a new budget without new programmes. Dahal told RJP-N leaders that formation of a new government could take 10-12 days.

Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi, who was one of the key leaders to broker a seven- point deal with the CPN-MC in August, told THT that the PM’s assurance about handing over power to NC president this week should be taken positively.

Mahato said RJP-N leaders urged the PM to ensure passage of a revised constitution amendment bill so that they could take part in the second phase of local level elections. The RJP-N, which has been demanding amendment to the constitution before polls, did not take part in the first phase of elections. According to Mahato, RJP-N leaders told the PM to ensure passage of the constitution amendment bill as per the gentleman’s agreement reached between the agitating forces and the ruling parties.

RJP-N leaders also demanded that false cases slapped against the cadres of the agitating forces be withdrawn and the number of local levels be increased in Madhes from Jhapa to Kanchanpur district to reflect the proportion of the population of Madhes.

They also demanded that those who were killed during the Madhes movement be declared martyrs.

Caretaker government to bring a new budget without new programmes

On his part, the PM assured them that he was working on their demands and had already formed a committee under Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Federal Affairs and Local Development Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar to increase the number of local levels in Madhes.

The PM also told RJP-N leaders that he had been talking to other parties to ensure passage of the constitution amendment bill.

A press release issued by the PM’s Secretariat said the PM held discussion with the RJP-N leaders on constitutional issues and second phase of elections. The release stated that the RJP-N leaders expressed satisfaction at the participation of voters in the polls.

The release, however, says nothing about the PM’s plan to resign.

A version of this article appears in print on May 16, 2017 of The Himalayan Times.

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