Rastriya Parjatantra Party (RPP) chairman Pashupati Sumshere Rana on Friday insisted that the onus as well as the initiative falls on Nepali Congress (NC) to help realise an alliance of “pro-democracy parties”.
Rastriya Parjatantra Party (RPP) chairman Pashupati Sumshere Rana speaking
at the Reporters Club Friday Dec 05 08. nepalnews.com/ANA
He, however, added the situation won’t allow them to move ahead [in that direction] by “completely bypassing the Maoists”.
“This is not a time to move ahead bypassing the Maoists or any other party,” he said, “This is a time to move ahead in a united manner.”
Rana, who was speaking at a interaction organised in the capital, was alluding to widespread talks about NC trying to forge a “democratic alliance” with RPP and few other rightist parties to strongly oppose the Maoists and the government it leads.
His remark also comes a day after NC president Girija Prasad Koirala stressed on the need for the democratic forces to come together to build a “democratic alliance”.
Rana also accused the NC of raising the issue of democratic alliance “only when it is trouble” and stressed the need for national unity at this difficult juncture, warning that the rift that “this sort of political polarisation” can bring into the country may be dangerous.
Claiming that political parties in the mainstream of national politics are committed towards democracy, Rana was of the belief that “national unity” should be held above everything else.
He said that during his meeting with the prime minister he had raised the issue of “broad understanding” between political parties and national unity and that the latter had given a patient ear to what he said. He said he also made the PM aware of the growing foreign interference in the country.
The RPP chief also took the opportunity to take a swipe at the government, saying that CPN (Maoist) which is leading the government and CPN-UML, which is the main coalition partner, are causing serious law and order problems with their paramilitary youth wings. nepalnews.com ag Dec 05 08