CPN (UML) chairman Jhala Nath Khanal has taken strong exception to the remarks made by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai at the airport while returning from a week-long trip to Brazil on Monday describing opposition parties' demands for his resignation as "childlike obstinacy".

"In fact, he is showing childlike obstinacy by trying to prolong the life of the caretaker government," Khanal told reporters at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, after seeing Nepali Congress vice president Ram Chandra Poudel who is undergoing treatment there.

"At a time when the Prime Minister is required to take initiative for consensus he is blaming other parties. This is uncalled for," Khanal said.

The UML leader also said that no consensus would be possible until the current government stepped down.

Alluding to PM Bhattarai's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Rio +20 sidelines in Brazil, Khanal said "the strength he has got from Rio is not going to help him". nepalnews.com