Deputy PM says Prachanda could take over at 'appropriate time'

Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister C P Mainali today said ruling parties have discussed the issue of handing over the government's reigns to Maoist chief Prachanda which can happen at an "appropriate time", even as Prime Minister K P Oli dismissed rumours about a leadership change.
"The coalition partners have discussed matters relating to making (UCPN-Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal) Prachanda the Prime Minister," General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) Mainali told reporters at an interaction in here.
"This is neither impossible, nor inappropriate. It can be implemented at an appropriate time," he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister's remarks came even as Prime Minister Oli, while talking to Kathmandu-based foreign envoys, dismissed rumours about a leadership change in the government.

Oli said there is no truth in the rumours about change of government leadership.
The term of the current Parliament will end on January 2018 and the government will remain at the helm until then, Oli said.
Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, speaking in the Parliament, yesterday said that the government is a temporary one, that had sparked outrage among the ruling party leaders.
At the same programme in which Oli made the reamrks, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa said that Nepal government is consistently making efforts to maintain cooperative and friendly relations with both India and China.