Nepal, Feb. 14 -- Addressing the inaugural session of the party's first-ever statute convention on Tuesday, CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairperson and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal claimed that he would happily give up the party leadership if his "comrades" stake a claim.

Appealing to all his former colleagues, who are no longer with him, to come together, Dahal said, "If comrades claim the position with logic and facts, I am ready to hand it over. I am not interested in continuing to hold the position."

Dahal made the appeal, arguing that those who fought the "people's war" were being attacked like never before. Therefore, they jointly needed to fight back.

However, Dahal's claim in the inaugural session that he was keen to hand over the...