Kathmandu, Nov. 14: On Friday as well, the big political parties failed to strike a deal on the thorny issues of the constitution—form of governance, and numbering and naming of the provinces thereby spreading despair again.
With repeated hiatus on the holding of the meeting of constitutional political dialogue and consensus committee (CPDCC) despite the fast approaching deadline to promulgation of the new constitution, the parties in the CPDCC met on Friday, but stuck to their guns.
As soon as the meeting began, CPDCC Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai requested the leaders for some more time as there was still a chance to forge consensus.
He requested the CPDCC team for five more days to seek consensus, which was readily denied by the leaders of the ruling Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML.
“All parties did not budge from their stand. I requested for five more days, but they did not heed,” Dr Bhattarai said, adding that the CPDCC will therefore meet again on November 18.
On the other hand, the ruling parties had requested CPDCC Chairman Bhattarai to forward their joint proposal on constitution writing in the full house of Constituent Assembly, which was objected by the CA members of the UCPN (Maoist).
Meanwhile, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has accused the ruling parties of not giving extra time for consensus efforts.
“They behaved in a way that their proposal was more important that the consensus efforts. Such stand does not help bring constitution on time,” he remarked.
Similarly, Nepali Congress Vice-President Ram Chandra Poudel said the ruling parties urged the CPDCC Chairman to send the joint proposal directly to the CA.
“We are never the obstruction,” he added.
Chairman of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal (Loktrantrik), Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar said there was no alternative to consensus. So, concept of bringing constitution merely on two-third majority in the CA was wrong, he stressed.
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