Maoists may allow govt to table budget

REPUBLICA

KATHMADNU, Sept 30: Maoists have indicated that they may allow the caretaker government to table the annual budget in case a new government is not formed in a month.

They expressed such views during a meeting with prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal at the latter´s office in Singha Durbar on Thursday.

“We said we are ready to seek ways to solve the problem through talks at the top political level as a last resort in case a new government is not formed,” said Maoist Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha who also attended the meeting.

He, however, added that the problem has come out of political deadlock and that the parties should focus on formation of a new government instead.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and leaders Dr Baburam Bhattaraki and Shrestha, UML leaders Ishwor Pokharel and Bharat Mohan Adhikary, Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (Democratic) leader Tilak Rawal, among others, were present at the meeting.

The leaders said the country should not slide into financial crisis due to lack of political consensus and stated said that they would take up the issue in their respective parties to solve the problem.

The prime minister said his government will table the budget in parliament in the third week of October in case a new government is not formed by that time.

Finance ministry officials have stated that the government would not be able to pay salary to civil servants if the budget is not passed by mid-November.