PM Deuba to hold talks with UML Chair Oli to end House stalemate

KATHMANDU, Jan 7: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is preparing to hold talks with CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma regarding the ways out to resolve the prolonged House stalemate. 

A ruling alliance’s coordination committee meeting held on Friday authorized PM Deuba to initiate talks with the leader of the main opposition amid ongoing House obstruction. 

According to Durga Poudel, vice-chair of Rastriya Janamorcha, one of the five coalition partners, Deuba will soon visit COli at the latter’s residence in Balkot to discuss the House deadlock. 

A Nepali Congress (NC) leader, Ram Chandra Poudel had a meeting with Oli on Wednesday. It was during the meeting with Poudel, Oli indicated that he wanted to hold talks with PM Deuba. 

Poudel, who presides over the high-level coordination committee formed by the ruling alliance, held a meeting to initiate dialogues to end the ongoing stalemate. 

The main opposition obstructed all meetings of the House of Representatives (HoR) since the summer session resumed on September 8. Similarly, it has been obstructing the winter session of the lower house of parliament that kicked off on December 14, demanding Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota suspend its 14 lawmakers which it had sacked on August 17. 

The lawmakers, led by Madhav Kumar Nepal, however, registered a new party --- CPN (Unified Socialist) later on August 25.