Finance Minister Surendra Pandey and other politburo members Pradip Nepal, Prakash Jwala, Asta Laxmi Sakya, Raghuji Pant, Urmila Aryal, Ganga Lal Tuladhar and Shrimaya Thakali spoke at the meeting.
However, according to one leader, some leaders argued that there is no need for such a statement by the politburo as the UML´s support is obvious.
But many others pressed for a statement of support. "While the Nepali Congress has reiterated its support time and again, the UML should not remain mum. Our party´s positive message is a must," he quoted the leaders as saying.
The leader said that ultimately the politburo is likely to issue the statement urging the party leadership to support the government while suggesting that the government run as per party instructions. "The leaders heading the government should consult the party leadership about running the government," they said.
Most leaders addressing the meeting criticized Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal for taking a soft stance toward the Maoists in his political paper presented at the meeting while being critical of the government.
The chairman was criticized mainly for saying that the UML should be ready to sacrifice its leadership of the government for the sake of national consensus.
They asked what Khanal meant by ´sacrifice´. A leader said that though the chairman is yet to reply to the queries, he has already clarified in informal interactions that he didn´t mean the party quitting the leadership of the government.
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