Kathmandu, Mar. 15:Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has issued a press statement denouncing the news in media fixing the date of discussion on 17th March following a no-confidence motion against him.

“I am the elected leader of Nepali Congress parliamentary party. I express serious objection to this process of taking the signatures of Members of Parliament by my own parliamentary party secretary through coercion and enticement and unilaterally fixing a date for the meeting of the NC Parliamentary party without even consulting me,” the PM said in press release issued today.

Earlier, NC Parliamentary party secretary, Benup Raj Prasai had issued a press circular informing that a meeting of the NC parliamentarians was summoned at 8 A.M Friday to discuss the no-confidence motion registered according to Article 19(5) of the Party’s constitution.

On Tuesday, 69 members of the ruling party registered a no-confidence motion following the NC president Girija Prasad Koirala’s declaration that the NC MPs were free to do as they wish.

The Prime Minister and the NC parliamentary party leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and NC party President Girija Prasad Koirala were said to have reached a ‘secret’ understanding two weeks ago following a no-trust motion brought against the Prime Minister by 58 MPs. Koirala now claims that the said understanding was not being followed by Bhattarai.

On the other hand, PM Bhattarai claims that since Koirala did not honour the previous ‘secret’ understanding reached between the two of them, he was also not bound to follow the second ‘secret’ agreement.