'Mahara failed in his duty'

POKHARA, June 28: UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal on Tuesday said that home minister Krishna Bahadur has failed to punish Parshuram Basnet, the mastermind behind the attack on Republica´s correspondent Khilanath Dhakal.



“It is the duty of the home minister to ensure that criminals are arrested and punished,” he said speaking to journalists in Pokhara. [break]



When asked if the UML leaders are protecting Basnet, Nepal said, “We don´t give shelter to criminals.” He said the party had nothing to do with the remarks of KP Oli, who had publicly thanked Mahesh Basnet for protecting Parshuram.



In another context, Nepal stated that there is no need to press Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal to step down.“As per the five-point deal, the prime minister will resign soon after the parties agree on a new prime ministerial candidate. Parties should find new candidate for the post at the earliest.”



He also argued that his party is not in the PM race. “Maoist Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal and Congress President, Sushil Koirala have a greater responsibility to resolve the current crisis.”

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