By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 27 – After weeks of being at loggerheads with each other, the two senior leaders of ruling Nepali Congress (NC) today called for a cease fire ending turmoil in the nation’s oldest party, at least for now.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala bowed down to most of the demands put forward by his long-time friend-turned-rival Krishna Prasad Bhattarai agreeing on four of the five demands.

Though during a dinner meeting between the two at the Prime Minister’s official residence at Baluwatar the four demands were met, the main demand by the anti-Koirala camp that he relinquish either the premiership or the party presidentship was neither discussed nor fulfilled.

According to Narhari Acharya, the party spokesman, the differences that had surfaced in the party have ended. “The understanding was reached at the meeting between the prime minister and Bhattarai,” Acharya said.

The talks were held in the presence of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, former DPM Shaileja Acharya. Others present in the meet included Ministers Govind Raj Joshi, Mahesh Acharya, Amod Upadhaya and lawmakers Purna Bahadur Khadka and Ram Sharan Mahat.

Koirala reiterated his earlier stand to reshuffle both the cabinet and the Central Working Committee (CWC), the party’s apex body. They also agreed to postpone the party’s general convention which will be held by the last week of January 2001.

Earlier, the convention was scheduled to be held by November this year. The rebels who had initiated a signature campaign against Koirala were demanding the postponement in the date so they could muster enough support against Koirala during the election for the coveted seat of the party president.

The rebels, which according to them numbered over 50 NC lawmakers, were also demanding that Koirala step down as the president and let Deuba take over as the acting president.

They were accusing Koirala of filling up the CWC with his supporters and relatives in key positions to suppress his opponents in the party. In NC, the party president nominates most of the members to CWC.

Koirala also agreed to set up a five-member election committee to be constituted for all the party’s elections pertaining to the convention. The election committee would comprise only those who will not be contesting for any position in the party.

The Nepali Congress, which has remained in power for most of the time after the democracy movement of 1990, has frequently been engulfed in intra-party power tussle. Koirala’s predecessor KP Bhattarai was the victim of a similar campaign just five months back. The recent one being a signature campaign launched by disgruntled lawmakers of the ruling party early this month, who are now led by the stalwarts of anti-Koirala camp.

The signature campaign had led to dismissal of Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka from the cabinet. Khadka was Minister for Works, Transport and Water Resources.