Lalitpur, June 2:

The Nepali Congress Saturday said that the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and announcement of the fresh CA elections just half an hour before the expiry of the CA tenure on May 27 was a result of a grand-design of the UCPN-Maoist and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF).

"I did not see any seriousness in the Maoist and the UDMF leaders during our last minute dialogues," NC president Sushil Koirala said during a press conference at the party’s head office at Sanepa, Lalitpur.

"We were sitting at the dialogue table to resolve the differences as per the five-point agreement and to promulgate the new constitution, but they had a plan to announce the elections by dissolving the CA."

He said initiatives were being taken till 11.30 pm on May 27. However, the PM dissolved the CA forgetting that fact he was also ending the legitimacy of his own post.

"It was a ploy and an attempt at autocracy. The one-sided election announcement is unconstitutional and illegal," he said.

Informing about his latest meeting with the PM, he said that Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda hatched a ploy by dismissing the Nepal Army Chief, and the PM also fell for such a ploy.

"This will not help. Do not play with the people. While they are organized for democracy, even big dictators are removed their movement, do not try to be dictatorial," Koirala recounted as having said to the PM.

The NC president said his party was showing flexibility for federal democracy through consensus, co-work, unity and reconciliation.

"They were the bases for the 12-point agreement, comprehensive peace accord, 7-point agreement and 5-point agreement. However, the Maoist did not show flexibility for six years. So the NC’s initiative for federalism and democratic constitution was foiled and Maoists could send the country into this constitutional crisis," he said.

Koirala condemned the Maoist’s blame game that his party was anti-federal.

NC’s past president late Girija Prasad Koirala presented the party’s written idea at the Constitutional Committee that paved the way to write the federal democratic constitution and it was committed to federalism after the second amendment of the interim constitution.

"But Maoists put a false blame that NC was anti-federal, that is a blatant untruth and it is also a matter against the democracy and NC."

He warned the Maoists not strive towards becoming autocratic and said that NC had been against the Rana regime, the Panchayat and King Gyanendra’s autocratice rule.

"Don’t forget it and NC is committed till now on democracy, federalism and inclusiveness," he said.

He also said a national consensus government was needed to resolve the present crisis and, for this, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai should quit.

"The agreement point is: form the national consensus government. We started the constitutional and political fight to search for a solution," he said.

Party vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel said the Maoists were against the CA and they made the CA as an instrument for achieving their political goal towards establishing an autocracy.

He said the constitution was possible and the parliament would be in existence even if the the CA was dissolved.

"Maoists did not give the priority to write the constitution from the very beginning," he accused.

Poudel said the government’s alliance was against national consensus.