Interview with Nepali Congress leader Minendra Rijal after talks between the HLPC and CPN-M broke down.
Why were the talks unsuccessful?
Minendra Rijal: Because of the CPN-M’s stance.
But didn’t the HLPC also take a stance?
We were very flexible. They asked us how elections would guarantee a constitution. We told them we were ready to talk on core issues. Then they proposed to change the government and said they were willing to follow our recommendations to expand the government. We said we could postpone the elections by a few days if it was logistically possible.
What difference will it make if polls are held next April, as the CPN-M has proposed?
We will never have elections if we don’t have one in November. All this talk of April is only a tactic to derail the polls because till now they don’t show any willingness towards it.
They keep saying they are not against polls but against the process it took this time, so how can you say they are against polls?
When we asked them yesterday if they were ready for polls they said they were not. Do you think someone who sets fire to a bus with people in it even remotely wishes to contest elections? What are they trying to do by terrorising the people?
Will it not be difficult to hold polls without their consent?
We have held many meetings to find out ways we can agree on the polls. It sends a bad message if some parties opt out of elections. But to keep the country forever in transition and without a parliament is worse. I think the problem is they are only pretending to be unaware of all this.
Will there be any talks if they don’t agree to November’s polls?
There’s only two months till 19 November. We have our own campaigns to prepare. They were the ones who refused to talk in the first place, so to talk more without agreeing to polls in November is meaningless.
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