Not withstanding Maoist chief Prachanda's threat to launch 'People's Movement-III' against the ruling CPN-UML, the government of Premier Madhav Kumar Nepal has expressed willingness to share power with the former rebels in a bid to take the peace process to its logical end.
Even as the Maoists continued to block the Parliament and heat the street launching anti-government agitations, efforts are on to bring them in the new cabinet, Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala disclosed at a function.
During a function organised by Nepali Congress (NC), here yesterday to felicitate her, Koirala said that efforts are on to bring the Maoists in the government to speed up constitution drafting process and to take the peace process to its logical end.
She, however, did not elaborate on how the Maoists will be brought back to power. She also urged all to make efforts in building lasting peace in the country without which the task of framing constitution would not be materialized.
The Maoists should join the coalition government to take the peace process to its logical end, she added.
NC president Girija Prasad Koirala had recently said that the ruling alliance is planning to set up a high level political mechanism to advise the coalition government. He had also urged Prachanda to join the high level body that would steer the coalition government.
The body will coordinate with different ministries, and will include senior leaders from all major parties including. Koirala stressed on the need to move ahead forging cooperation and unity among major political parties.
He will be the figure head of the body, which will include leaders of all major political parties as members.
K P Sharma Oli, senior leader of CPN-UML, who visited India last month after returning to Kathmandu, said that the Maoists will come to join the government under the leadership of Nepal within a couple of months but did not elaborate much.
UML chief Jhalanath Khanal also made the same remarks recently. A highly placed political source said that the Maoists might send a junior team to join the government in the not-too-distant future while the senior leaders remaining outside power, which gives the former rebels benefit of both the opposition as well as the ruling party.
Prachanda on June 21 had described the UML as a "black sheep" among the communists and had said he will launch the "People's Movement-III" by forging an alliance with "nationalist forces" to establish civilian supremacy.
"We will soon launch another People's Movement," he had said addressing his workers in a Kathmandu village.
Prachanda was eased out of power last month by CPN-UML-led alliance. Prachanda had termed the present UML-led government as a puppet and said that the UML was the black sheep among the communist parties of Nepal. Political analysts feel that it was also necessary to bring the Maoists in the power in order to speed up the peace process and to draft the constitution on time.
