Kathmandu, June 30:

Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai Saturday said that the present government was an election government, not a caretaker one.

Talking to journalists at his official residence in Baluwatar, the Prime Minister said that there was no legal basis to topple the current government.

He claimed that the current government was a legitimate one and consensus could not be sought going beyond the constitutional limits.

Stating that the country lost the only elected body, the Constituent Assembly, the Prime Minister said that there was no alternative but to elect the new CA and until the next elections, the current government would be legal.

However, he said that he was in favour of a unity government.

He also made it clear that he would not be a hurdle to political consensus and added that the political parties would come for consensus sooner or later citing that they reached this point after a long struggle for peace and democracy.

"I do not want a single party rule at this crucial moment," he said. "Political consensus is essential to end the current deadlock.

He also stressed an agreement among the parties on the contentious issues like federalism based on identity, constitutional procedures and power sharing.

He said that the parties should first find a compromise solution to the most contentious issues which made the earlier Constituent Assembly a failure before holding discussions on power sharing.

The Prime Minister also hinted at the reinstatement of the dissolved CA if the political parties, the Supreme Court and other bodies agreed for it.
"The dissolved CA can be revived if that does fill the constitutional vacuum and resume the stalled process," he said and added that the revival of CA could not be possible just because a particular party asked for it.

However, he still claimed that he did not see any chance of reinstating the CA.
He informed that the government was preparing to hold the fresh CA election within the slated time and expressed his confidence that all parties would take part in the election after forging consensus.

"The future political course depends on political consensus and if the parties fail to strike any consensus, the government will continue its elections procedures," Prime Minister Bhattarai said.

Referring to the media reports about the government preparation to grant voluntary retirement to the former PLAs opting for integration, Prime Minister said that the reports were baseless.

He informed that the integration process would take full shape soon as the government and Nepal Army had already initiated the integration process.

He said that the remaining tasks of the integration process--bridge course, general directorate and training would be resolved soon through consensus.

Referring to the new fiscal year budget, he said that the government would bring a full-fledge budget keeping in mind the deepening economic crisis, unemployment, poverty and degrading economic situation of the nation.

Responding a query regarding the shortage of fertilizer, he said that some 12,000 metric tons of fertilizer was all set to arrive in Nepal from India within one or two days and some 30,000 metric ton would be brought in the second phase.