Consensus only if 7-pt deal scrapped: NC chief

NEPALGUNJ, Feb 20: Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala on Saturday said that the process of forging a national consensus can materialize only if the seven-point deal reached between Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal is scrapped.

Addressing a rally organized by the NC to mark the 61st Democracy Day, President Koirala termed the seven-point agreement a ´secret deal´ between the chairmen of two communist parties and said it is directed against democracy.

“It is useless for other parties to talk about cooperation when we see the agreement reached between those two individuals,” said Koirala.
“Nevertheless, the NC wants that dialogue should be initiated in a new fashion since it has traditionally stood in favor of reconciliation.”

President Koirala said they are in no position to be reassured with the Maoists as the latter have failed to abide by past agreements and also continue to intimidate the cadres of rival parties in the villages. “Maoists are still issuing death threats to NC cadres if the latter fail to pay donations,” he said. “The Maoist intention is against democracy.”

Koirala said the NC would forcefully counter any attempt by the Maoists to abolish democracy in the country. “The Maoists themselves will perish if they attempted to abolish democracy,” he said.

Koirala said UML leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal, K P Sharma Oli and Ishwar Pokharel had been playing a positive role to safeguard democracy. He said the country was heading towards crisis and instability as there has been widespread concern that the country would turn into a failed state due to Maoist activity.

Koirala had reached his home district for the first time after being elected NC chief. Local party cadres welcomed him with a 22-kg garland, wishing him all success in facing the challenges and leading the party.

NC youth leaders Badri Pandey, Kishor Singh Rathour, Hasta Bahadur Malla, Kailash Nath Kashoudhan and Kiran Koirala, among others, also addressed the function. They flayed Dahal and Khanal over the ´secret´ seven-point deal.

Earlier, the NC had decided to send over five dozen central level party leaders to various districts to mark 61st Democracy Day. The decision was taken to reach the party´s message to the districts in the aftermath of the party deciding to stay in opposition.

NC district working committees in various districts across the country had organized functions to mark 61st Democracy Day.

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