My presence or absence meaningless: Prime Minister

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal today tried to gloss over media reports that he defied the advice of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav and Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nembang not to embark on a foreign trip when the country was burning with problems galore.

“I don’t think the President gave any advice to me regarding my trip,” Prime Minister Nepal told mediapersons at Tribhuvan International Airport upon his arrival from his 10-day South-East Asia and Europe tour.

Nepal had drawn flak from several quarters for opting to be the part of the junket instead of actively participating in deliberations to break the political stalemate, which has mired the country for so long.

Media reports were rife that President Dr Yadav and CA Chairman Subas Nembang had advised him separately to not make frequent trips to foreign countries when the country was at a critical juncture and time was running out for the completion of peace process.

Following the budget presentation fiasco on November 19, the government took the decision to prorogue the House. The following day the budget was tabled through ordinance — to temporarily bail the country out of financial crisis. But it pushed the country into yet another political crisis. And after 10 days Nepal set off to Cambodia.

Next House session is nowhere in sight. Still, Nepal, seeming very much oblivious to the country’s woes, maintained that his presence or absence did not make much difference in resolving the political deadlock. Instead, he took a pot shot at other leaders, “I don’t think the other leaders were in a deep slumber when I was away.”

He even regaled mediapersons with the claim that he was constantly in touch with political leaders — including Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel and Nepali Congress leaders — over phone and added that he had been urging them to end the political imbroglio.

He picked the same end of the thread — that he had picked before setting off — when asked about calling the winter session of the House and said, “It will be called as soon as possible once consensus is forged.” And, he outright rejected that House session will be called the way the Maoist are lobbying for — through a petition to the President with one-fourth of CA members’ signatures.

Nepal once again repeated ‘very successful’ cliché to describe his tour of Cambodia and Belgium.

The prime minister had set out for Phnom Penh of Cambodia on November 30 to participate in the sixth meeting of the International Conference of the Asian Political Parties in capacity of one of the founders of the forum but the official website of ICAPP, much to the humiliation of all, identified him as ‘former prime minister of Nepal’.

He later left for Brussels from Cambodia to attend the annual ceremony of the European Development Days 2010.