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Kathmandu: Under fire
from his own allies, the Maoists, Nepal's communist Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal Sunday sought help from the opposition to save
his five-month-old government but was instead told to quit.
Time started running out for Khanal with the Maoists, the largest
party in the ruling coalition whose support has kept the weak
alliance afloat, withdrawing their 12 ministers from the cabinet
and giving him time till Sunday night to induct 24 ministers from
their party.
If Khanal refuses to reshuffle the cabinet, the former guerrillas
have threatened to withdraw support from the government.
The prime minister is caught between his allies and the opposition
with the latter too having stepped up its demand for his
resignation.
The main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, began a blockade
of parliament this month, saying it would keep up the obstruction
till the prime minister stepped down.
A shaken Khanal Sunday made a last-ditch attempt to hang on to
power by rushing for consultations with Nepali Congress chief
Sushil Koirala and other leaders and seeking their support.
Koirala, however, told him to resign and clear the decks for a
new, all-party government.
It was a case of nemesis finally overtaking the communist leader
who had deserted the Nepali Congress, his party's old ally, to
join forces with the Maoists so that he could become the new prime
minister.
After talks with the opposition failed, the prime minister told
reporters he was ready to pave the way for "national consensus".
Political analysts predict that Khanal will try to hold fresh
consultations with the Maoists and seek to woo them back with
sops.
Even then, he would be only postponing the unravelling of his
government.
A new constitution crisis lurks only a month away.
The government has to promulgate a new constitution by Aug 31, a
task that has already been delayed twice since 2010.
However, with the three major parties at loggerheads, the new
statute is not likely to be ready within the deadline. From Aug 31
midnight, the Khanal government will lose its legitimacy.
Since 2008, Nepal has seen four governments in three years with
none able to take the peace process to conclusion or persuade the
Maoists to disband their guerrilla army of nearly 20,000
combatants.
(Sudeshna Sarkar can be contacted at sudeshna.s@ians.in)
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