We didn’t get time to save coalition by offering PM’s post to Dahal: NC

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) spokesperson Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has stated that his party did not have time to hold discussions with CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal in an attempt to save the five-party alliance.

“The NC never prioritized taking leadership by exploring alternatives. Dahal did that. Therefore, the NC should not be blamed for the failure of the alliance,” Mahat argued. “We simply did not have time to hold discussions about allowing Dahal to lead the government.”

He stated that although the election results were not as expected, they were satisfactory. “Despite this, we did not deviate from our commitments, but Dahal did,” he alleged. Mahat added that it would soon become clear why Dahal broke the NC-led alliance.

After the NC announced its intention to hold onto the important positions of Prime Minister and President, Dahal left the alliance and formed a new one with the CPN-UML in order to lead the government.

Mahat argued that the parties in the government will not be able to deliver due to their differing ideologies. “The parties in the new alliance have conflicting views on monarchy and federalism. They are not guided by any ideology, but rather a desire for power,” he said.

He also accused the Rastriya Swatantra Party of succumbing to the desire for power. He criticized the party for joining the government under the same leader that it had previously criticized with the slogan ‘No, Not Again’ before the November 20 elections.