Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has proposed to CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli to become Prime Minister.
Deuba, accompanied by his wife Arzu, met Oli at his residence in Balkot on Saturday. However, he told Oli that he would lead the election government, according to an NC leader.
Although second-tier leaders of NC and UML have been holding discussions about changing government leadership for a long time, this was the first direct discussion between Deuba and Oli. “President Deuba has proposed Oli to take the charge first and later support him in leading the election government,” the NC leader said.
NC, the largest party in the House of Representatives, is currently in opposition. UML, the second-largest party, is part of the government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the chairperson of CPN (Maoist Center) – the third-largest party in the House of Representatives.
The NC leader said discussions on forming a new alliance between the two top leaders to remove Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal from power are progressing. “The plan is to run the government by uniting the two major parties as the current government is not effectively safeguarding the nation’s interests,” he added. “The NC recognizes the urgent need to move the country forward, even if it means making Oli the Prime Minister.”
The leader said Deuba and Oli held discussions after smaller parties tried to increase their dominance by sidelining the larger parties. He added that while the southern neighbor envisions a stable government, the northern neighbor prefers to see communists united in power. Discussions on cooperation between the NC and UML have begun in these circumstances, the leader said.
A UML leader said Oli has also concluded that it would be easier to advance by cooperating with a large party rather than accommodating smaller ones. Oli is also wary of a potential formation of a new coalition of the Maoist Center, NC, Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP).
A Maoist leader this meeting between the leader of the main opposition party and the chairperson of the largest party in the ruling coalition is of great significance.
Second-tier leaders of NC and UML were holding regular meetings in recent days. The top leaders of the two parties started considering a new coalition as discussions among the second-tier leaders moved in a positive direction. An NC said that NC General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma and businessman and NC lawmaker Binod Chaudhary, among others, have played key roles in these talks.
The NC is strategizing to dismantle the current ruling coalition and remove Prime Minister Dahal by any means necessary. Maoist Center leaders believe that Deuba, who is driving this strategy, might show maximum flexibility to reach a deal with Oli.
NC leader Dr Shekhar Koirala, who leads the party’s anti-establishment faction, has long advocated for an NC-UML alliance. He believes that nothing will progress without a united front between the NC and UML given the current situation of the country. Deuba appears ready to make Oli the Prime Minister. A Congress leader said that Deuba’s strategy is to conduct the elections himself and remain as party president for an extended period by postponing the party’s general convention.
Since Oli and Arzu are linked to corruption scandals like the Giribandhu land swap deal and the Bhutanese refugee scam, respectively, leaders speculate that one of the motives for the cooperation between Oli and Deuba could be to derail investigations into these cases.
Maoist leaders have also become suspicious of Oli after he skipped the birth anniversary celebration of Pushpa Lal in Kathmandu on Saturday. Maoist Center Chairperson and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has also been startled by the meeting between Deuba and Oli. A Maoist leader said that Dahal has alerted the party’s senior leaders about a possible change in government leadership. “As our neighbors have a keen interest in Nepal’s political changes, it also depends on how they perceive these developments,” he added.
Dahal met Oli at Singhadurbar on Sunday. The two leaders discussed contemporary political issues, according to a member of Dahal’s secretariat.
No official details about the discussions between Oli and Deuba have been released to the media. UML spokesperson Rajendra Gautam said it is normal for leaders to meet, and ruled out any immediate change in the power equation. “The UML supports the continuation of this government. It is normal for leaders to meet each other,” UML spokesperson Rajendra Gautam said. “The meeting was arranged after Deuba expressed a desire to meet. There is nothing more to it.”
