UPDATE SUSHIL KOIRALA SAYS BUDGET WITHOUT CONSESUS UNACCEPTABLE Kathmandu, 5 July:: President of the Nepali Congress (NC), Sushil Koirala, has said NC would not accept the budget that will be brought without consensus among the political parties, RSS reports. Talking to the delegation of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) at Koirala's residence at Maharajgunj, here today, he said the preparations made by the government to bring the budget have no meaning at all. "The unilateral preparations made by the government further invites political crisis and it has widened the gap between the political parties," he said. Political consensus is the need of the day, he added. NC President Koirala pointed out that the government activities since the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and preparations of the budget were the government's unilateral move, adding the NC and other opposition parties have been making frequent efforts and that they had urged the President not to give consent to the budget without consensus. The representatives of NCC urged Koirala to take initiative to maintain political consensus and bring a complete budget, said Chairman of the NCC Suresh Basnet. The overall economic condition of the country would collapse if a full-shape budget was not brought, the environment for investment will spoil, and the country will have to pass through anarchism, so, we drew NC President Koirala's attention to this effect, he said. During the meeting, the NC President Koirala said his party was positive on the issues of economy and livelihood raised by NCC, adding the NC had already begun dialogue for political consensus. The NCC delegation has been continuing meeting senior leaders of political parties demanding to bring an investment friendly, revenue- friendly budget and promotion of production and export, among other issues. Nnnn NO ALTERNATIVE TO GOVT. RESIGNATION Kathmanndu, 5 July: Leader of the CPN-United and Former Minister Thakur Prasad Sharma has stressed on national consensus to end the present political stalemate, RSS reports. At a press meet organized today by the Mahottari District Committee of the party, Sharma said the prime minister should pave way for consensus by resigning from the post. There is no alternative to consensus as mutual distrust aggravates problems and added that the government should start talks immediately for institutionalizing the achievements made so far by the loktantrik and Madhes movements. nnnn