By Our Reporter

CPN-UML chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba have reiterated their commitments to continue the present coalition government, ending all speculations that the Oli-led government was on the verge of collapse.

The rumours about change in the government began spreading after NC president Deuba left for Bangkok for a medical check-up last week and the agitating teachers intensified their Kathmandu-centric protests. When Deuba was not in Kathmandu, Education Minister Bidhya Bhattarai resigned following differences with PM Oli regarding the teachers' protest. PM Oli also sacked State Minister Purna Bahadur Tamang for supporting Kul Man Ghising who was dismissed by the Oli-led government. When Lama, who is close to Deuba, was dismissed, speculations about the fall of the government were rife.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress general secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma and leader Shekhar Koirala started criticising the government from public forums for the ways the government handled the teachers' protest.

CPN (Maoist Centre) chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal added fuel to the situation by stating that the government was falling soon. To support his argument, he also said that Deuba called him before departing for Bangkok.

All these activities and remarks compelled many to believe that the government was falling soon. Even PM Oli while addressing a rally of youth associated with his party at Bhrikuti Mandap on Wednesday said that he was not seeking support to save the government, which further fueled uncertainty about the continuity of the government.

But all these speculations ended when Deuba and Arzu Rana landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport on April 25 and said they were unaware of the rumours. Rana refuted the rumours of government change by stating that it was impossible.

Later, on Sunday, when Oli and Deuba held a meeting and reaffirmed their commitment to continuing the present coalition, PM Oli got a new lease of life.

After the Deuba-Oli meeting, the government began talks with agitating teachers while Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel instructed acting NRB governor Nilam Dhungana to accept the resignation of Guankar Bhatt, who is proposed by NC for the post of new governor of Nepal Rastra Bank.