CA's reinstatement unattainable: UML leader Oli

THT ONLINE

KATHMANDU: Senior leader of the CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli said it is impossible to reinstate the Constituent Assembly (CA), which kicked the bucket without issuing the new statute on May 27.

“The Constituent Assembly was elected to a two-year term in 2008, but that term was later extended for four years only to see the failure of leaders to promulgate the new constitution. We cannot repeat the same mistake again,” said Oli while talking to a Kathmandu-based FM station on Monday morning.

“There is no alternative to going to fresh polls”

On the dissemination of news which say disgruntled Janajajti leaders including vice-chairman Ashok Rai of CPN-UML are set to quit the party over the state restructuring row, Oli said, "it won’t affect the party."

While dissenting janajati leaders are saying that they are ready to form a separate political force for the sake of ethnicity-based federalism, by formally quitting the party, Oli said UML will never support the agenda of ethnicity-based federalism in the process of state restructuring.

Oli also insisted that incumbent Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai should step down to pave the way for the formation of a national consensus government, which would settle the existing political crisis and constitutional hurdles on consensus basis.

Only on Sunday the Standing committee meeting of the CPN-UML had described the senior leader KP Sharma Oli’s week-long India visit as “positive”.

During his visit, Oli held meetings with a number of Indian politicians, including newly-elected President Pranab Mukherjee, and ruling and main opposition leaders.

Oli is the first Nepali politician to meet Mujherjee after the latter was elected as India’s 13th president.