KATHMANDU, MAR 17 - Due to intra-party differences, the UCPN (Maoist) has decided not to table a no-confidence motion against the government for now, said party leaders, adding the party is considering whether to call for the special session of the parliament.

Senior Vice Chairman Mohan Baidhya and Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai have raised concern over the timing and wisdom behind the no-confidence motion. They have instead set a pre-condition: that the party should first solicit support from 63 non-Maoist lawmakers, which will give the motion a majority vote.

“The leaders (Baidhya and Bhattarai) are of the opinion that the no-confidence motion should be postponed for the time being,” said a Maoist leader who was present at Sunday’s Standing Committee meeting. “They said that the no-confidence motion would give an impression to the general public that the Maoist party was getting into the game to topple the government, which the leaders said, was not the ultimate intent of the party.”

Media reports have claimed that the UCPN (Maoist) would soon begin a signature campaign to call for a special session, which will then table a no-confidence motion against the Madhav Nepal government.

The main opposition has 238 seats in the 601-member parliament (two seats are vacant). One-fourth of the lawmakers can call for the special session but the Maoists by themselves are far short of the major to pass a no-confidence motion.

“Bhattarai in the Standing Committee meeting said that we should opt to stay out of the government for the benefit of the party, at least for now,” a Maoist leader told the Post.

Vice Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha, however, is in favour of getting into “the signature campaign” immediately and he is leading it, maintained the party source. “Shrestha has even convinced the chairman (Pushpa Kamal Dahal) that it would be in the interest of the party to register the no-confidence motion.”

As many as 150 Maoist lawmakers are said to have put

their signatures in support of the campaign.

A Maoist lawmaker, who was asked to sign, told the Post: “The objective of the campaign is not very clear and we were not told anything before we were asked to sign. Bhattarai, who has refused to sign, wants 63 lawmakers from other parties to support the motion.”

While Standing Committee member Top Bahadur Rayamajhi said that the party was all set to call for a special session, lawmaker Khimlal Devkota maintained the party was “still mulling over the idea.”

Chairman Dahal said in Nepalgunj on Tuesday that the party has not yet taken a call on the motion. “We are calling for the special session to make people aware of price hike, corruption and lax security situation. We have not decided yet whether we would register the no-confidence motion,” Dahal told reporters. 

On the same day, Bhattarai in Bara district emphasised on “a national unity government.”We are for the constitution, not the government.”

 

Posted on: 2010-03-17 12:40

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