Breaking the weeklong silence after the January brawl in the Constituent Assembly, the two leaders had agreed to sit for talks at 6pm when they participated in the Constitutional Council meeting earlier in the day. Dahal, however, expressed his inability to attend the meet at the last moment, saying that he had to attend a gathering of the opposition alliance.

“He [Dahal] made a call and informed us that he was unable to keep the appointment,” said Prakash Adhikari, Koirala’s press coordinator. He said they could set a fresh date for talks after discussion among the leaders.

Aides close to Dahal, however, said there was no plan whatsoever regarding the talks between the two leaders. “No meeting was scheduled as claimed by the PM’s office.

It was a rumour intended to create an impression that the ruling parties had prepared the atmosphere for talks,” said Maoist leader Chudamani Khadka.

While Koirala was reportedly waiting for Dahal, the latter was busy in a meeting of the agitating bloc. Khadka said the opposition had not yet committed to dialogue unless the ruling parties assured them of promulgating the new constitution in consensus.  He, however, did not rule out the possibility of formal talks to resolve the disputed issues of the constitution writing process.

The 19-party alliance led by the Maoists has stayed away from the constitution writing process after the CA violence on January 19, three days before the self-imposed

deadline for constitution promulgation that the parties missed.

In the wake, the ruling parties formed the Questionnaire Committee to put the unsettled issues to vote despite protests from the disgruntled parties. On Thursday, the CA was adjourned indefinitely. The move is seen as an attempt of the ruling parties to give consensus another shot, as advised by President Ram Baran Yadav and different quarters.

Immediately after the CA adjournment, ruling leaders claimed that negotiations would resume within ‘a couple of days.’