Opposition leaders see 'foreign hand' behind agreement on CJ-led election govt

As the major political parties appear close to striking a deal on forming an election government headed by serving Chief Justice (CJ) Khil Raj Regmi, some leaders of the opposition have started to see the hand of "foreign power centers" behind the latest political development in the country.

CPN-Maoist chairman Mohan Baidhya has claimed that Nepali Congress and CPN (UML), who were against the idea of a CJ-led election government even until two days ago, suddenly made an about turn on the issue coming under tremendous pressure of external power centers.

He said that the two parties agreed to the UCPN (Maoist) proposal to form a CJ-led election government coming under direct pressure and instruction of the external power centers. The radical leftist leaders, however, didn't clarify who or what he actually meant by the external power centers he was referring to.

Speaking at a training programme organised by his party for the junior leaders and activists in Dharan, Baidhya said that a CJ-led government to be constituted after coming under "external pressure" would not be acceptable to him or his party.

Saying that he doesn't have any personal grievances against CJ Khil Raj Regmi, Baidhya said his party was firm on its stand that a head of the judiciary should not be given the reins of the government (executive).

Baidhya said his party is preparing to wage a nationwide movement to compel all the political parties hold an all-party conference and give a way out to the crisis facing the country.

Meanwhile, senior CPN (UML) leader Pradip Nepal, who has opposed his party's Saturday decision to accept a CJ-led election government, has said that the "pressure" to appoint the Chief Justice to the post of prime minister of the country came not from Pushpa Kamal Dahal, but the Kathmandu-based ambassadors of European Union, India and America.

"I hear that European Union has even threatened to halt all its assistance to Nepal if the Chief Justice is not given the leadership of election government," Nepal wrote on his Facebook posts on Sunday. Nepalnews.com