SURKHET: Nepali Communist Party coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has claimed that he rejected proposals from the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress (NC) to form joint provincial governments.
Speaking to journalists in Surkhet, the capital of Karnali Province, on Sunday, Dahal said that discussions have repeatedly been held between the CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress regarding shared provincial government formations.
“Proposals have been made in the past and are still being made by the UML and the Nepali Congress to form provincial governments together,” he said. “However, as the party coordinator, I have rejected them. We are not currently engaged in forming governments with any particular party.”
He argued that the strategy of one major party excluding the other from provincial power-sharing is inappropriate in the present political context.
According to him, a more inclusive approach would involve forming joint provincial governments that include the CPN-UML, Nepali Congress, the Nepali Communist Party, and Madhes-based parties.
“If we want to bring innovation in provincial governance, we can agree to form a joint government with all major parties,” he said. “If all stakeholders of the peace process and the constitution come together, it will strengthen democracy and provide relief to the people.”
Dahal further said that such an all-party arrangement could improve governance outcomes and ensure more effective service delivery at the provincial level.
He added that if an all-party provincial government is not possible, the Maoist Centre would not obstruct governments led by either the UML or the Nepali Congress.
At the same time, Dahal criticised certain government actions, including what he described as “dozer terror” against squatters, the abolition of trade unions, and the formation of committees aimed at constitutional amendments.
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