KATHMANDU: The recommendation made by then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to President Ram Chandra Paudel after leaving the official residence in Baluwatar on a Nepal Army helicopter on September 9 still remains unclear.
Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ recently claimed that he had read Oli’s letter recommending Sushila Karki as prime minister. He made the remark during a tea reception organized by the All Nepal Trade Union Federation at the party headquarters in Parisdanda.
Responding on Sunday, Oli denied sending such a recommendation. He called Prachanda’s statement “a blatant lie,” saying the interim government led by Karki was not formed under constitutional procedures.
Oli clarified that he had only made a general recommendation after the President expressed difficulty in proceeding without any formal advice. “I made a recommendation stating that the President, as the guardian of the constitution, should take steps within the constitutional framework to restore peace and normalcy,” he said.
He also shared the language of the letter, which, according to him, reads:
“In view of the current abnormal situation, and the need to restore constitutional and democratic order peacefully, I recommend that the respected President take necessary steps within the constitutional framework to find an appropriate solution.”
Oli said the letter is kept at Sheetal Niwas and may be made public someday. He also recalled that, during discussions with the President and the Chief of Army Staff, he had suggested that the constitution and parliament should not be touched at that moment.
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