KATHMANDU, Aug 19 : Nepali Congress (NC) Central Working Committee members have appeared divided over whether to remain open to Constituent Assembly (CA) revival or go directly for fresh election to end the current political deadlock.
While a majority of CWC members speaking at the Sunday´s meeting argued that the party should stand ready to reinstate the CA in case there is an “understanding” among all parties on all contentious issues of the new statute, other members said that the party should close the option of CA revival altogether.
Those in favor of CA revival were for reinstating the CA for a “brief period” just for promulgating the draft of the new statute.
Addressing the meeting, CWC members Ram Sharan Mahat, Kamala Panta, Ishwari Neupane, Man Bahadur Bishwakarma, Ratna Sherchan and Gyanendra Bahadur Karki opined that endorsement of the new statute through CA would be a more legitimate way to address the current political deadlock.
“But they did not mean that we could find solution through the reinstated CA. All they meant was promulgation of the interim constitution through CA was the best way in case there is consensus on all contentious issues,” said CWC member Gagan Thapa.
However, two other CWC members, Dr Shekhar Koirala and Mohammad Aftab Aalam, argued that the party should drop the option of CA revival.
They were of the view that the party should directly go for a parliamentary election and give a one year period to the new parliament to draft a new constitution and let it function as a parliament for the remaining four years.
A national gathering of the NC district presidents held in Sindhupalchowk recently had urged the party leadership to keep open the option of CA revival, yet an overwhelming majority of them stood for fresh parliamentary election.
Though the CWC meeting was scheduled to hold discussions on the political paper presented by General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula, it could not dwell much on the report. After most CWC members criticized the political paper arguing that it failed to cover comprehensively the issues facing the country, President Koirala assured the CWC members that a new political proposal would be brought for discussions in the CWC meeting slated for August 24.
Meanwhile, the CWC members strongly criticized the party leadership for failing to patch up their differences and run the party through consensus to take the leadership role in national politics.
CWC member Man Bahadur Bishwakarma strongly criticized Deuba for his remarks against Koirala.
According to CWC member Bal Krishna Khand, the CWC meeting decided to give one month time to Bhim Bahadur Tamang-led committee to come up with a comprehensive proposal that would make the party´s stand clear on the names, numbers and boundaries of federal states.
The NC plans to float a new comprehensive proposal on names, number and boundaries of federal states in its upcoming Mahasamiti meeting in Janakpur in October.
An 11-member committee headed by Tamang had submitted its report last month, suggesting 17 different ways to address the demands related to identity-based federal states raised by ethnic and indigenous leaders in the party.
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