Forget CA revival‚ go for polls‚ Prez tells parties

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

JANAKPURDHAM: President Ram Baran Yadav today ruled out the possibility of promulgating the

constitution by reinstating the Constituent Assembly and said the parties must go for fresh elections to resolve the longstanding political stand-off.

Talking to mediapersons in Janakpurdham, Yadav said, “Only fresh elections can give an outlet to the country”.

Noting that the government and Constituent Assembly members had committed a blunder by dissolving the CA, the President called on the parties to forge political consensus and go for new elections. He held the government and CA members responsible for dissolving the CA on May 27 without amending the Interim Constitution.

“The parties should have amended the Interim Constitution on May 27. But, the government and CA members blundered and turned the job of the assembly into a fiasco by not doing the needful on time, Yadav added.”

At a time when the UCPN-Maoist and its coalition partner the United Democratic Madhesi Front are rooting for the dissolved CA’s reinstatement, the President has asked the parties to build consensus and go for elections at the earliest.

“The possibility of promulgating a new constitution through a revived CA is almost nil. Thus, parties have to immediately forge consensus and extricate the country from the ongoing crisis.” said Yadav.

Stating that UCPN-M and UDMF alone cannot resolve the deadlock, Yadav called on the government to take the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML into confidence and move ahead.

Responding to a query, the head of state said that as protector and guardian of the Interim Constitution, he would offer a right solution acceptable to all the parties.

When asked about the Prime Minister’s remark that he did not possess the right to ask for an election date, the President responded saying that as protector of the Interim Constitution and head of the state it was not unnatural for him to show concern about the prevailing political stalemate.

He further insisted that though he could pass the ordinance related to development, it would do no good to sign the ordinance holding the country’s politics hostage.