Talks to revive CA on: Dahal

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Chairman of Unified CPN-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal today said discussions were on with the parties and the President whether the dissolved Constituent Assembly could be reinstated through a political consensus after the parties reached an agreement on contentious constitutional issues.

Dahal’s statement comes a few days after scores of NC’s former CA members asked the parties to reinstate the CA to complete the unfinished tasks of the new constitution and give the nation a new constitution. He said the CA could be revived through the President in case the parties forge a consensus.

Addressing an interaction organised by the ruling parties, Chairman Dahal pinned blame of the untimely demise of CA on Nepali Congress and CPN-UML. He claimed the two parties were responsible for the dissolution of the CA.

He said his party maintained maximum flexibility until the eleventh hour for the promulgation of new constitution even accepting the multi-ethnic identity based federalism, such as Newa-Bagmati Multi-ethnic Pradesh proposed by NC and UML earlier.

Dahal, however, claimed that NC and UML shied away from their own proposal on May 27 and even ruled out the notion of federalism, let alone single ethnic identity-based federalism.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai also accused the opposition of backtracking from their own proposal of multi-ethnic federalism. He also blamed them for not putting to vote the thorny issues, opposing the extension of the Constituent Assembly term and ruling out emergency, thus effectively blocking the promulgation of new constitution.

Dismissing the allegations that he was responsible for the dissolution of the CA, he maintained that he was left with no option but to call fresh elections by dissolving the CA.

DPM Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar also claimed that there was no alternative to fresh elections to resolve the crisis.

Forge consensus: Prez

Kathmandu: President Ram Baran Yadav suggested UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to forge consensus with the political parties during an hour long dinner meeting held between the two on Monday. Rajendra Dahal, Press Adviser of the President, told The Himalayan Times that the President stressed consensus even for the amendment in the Constitution.