Kathmandu, August 20

A meeting of the Constitution Drafting Committee headed by Krishna Prasad Sitaula today decided to submit its report to Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang tomorrow.

“If the Special Committee fails to reach consensus on the debated issues tomorrow, the panel will forward its report to the CA Chairman,” said Sitaula. The CDC is preparing to include the six-province model as demarcated by the SC on August 8 and not to remove secularism, as no agreement was reached on it, said CDC member Aindra Sundar Nembang, adding, “If the parties reach a new agreement after the report is forwarded that can be included through amendment proposal.”

Meanwhile, attempts to iron out differences among parties on demarcation of federal units failed today as the Nepali Congress stuck to six-province model and Unified CPN-Maoist and Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic opposed it. The CPN-UML, however, agreed to adopt the NC’s proposal.

Expressing objection to the seven-province model proposed by Unified CPN-Maoist yesterday, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala did not attend today’s meeting of the Special Committee of the Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee that comprises top leaders of four parties – NC, UML, UCPN-M and MJF-D.

“As soon as we proposed seven-province model yesterday, PM Koirala left the meeting venue. He came to the meeting venue this morning, held consultations with the NC leaders separately and left without attending the meeting. He did not come for the evening meeting. He telephoned Special Committee Coordinator Baburam Bhattarai, telling him that Bheri, Rapti and Karnali should be included in the same province and he did not know anything else,” said UCPN-M leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha. Koirala also told Bhattarai that NC Vice-president Ramchandra Paudel would negotiate on behalf of the NC. Then, Paudel reiterated Koirala’s stance on federalism to Bhattarai.

Although UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli agreed to adopt NC’s proposal, NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and MJF-D leader Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar said the UCPN-M-proposed seven-province model should be discussed positively.

The UCPN-M’s seven-province model, according to Shrestha, is the same as jointly proposed by NC and UML on November 3 with a slight change — including Rolpa and Pyuthan in Province No 4.

Today’s meeting concluded with an understanding that the meeting would resume tomorrow after the second-rung leaders of NC sit with PM Koirala and come up with the party’s view.

SC Coordinator Bhattarai said the parties were supposed to reach agreement today but it could not happen, as the PM did not attend the meeting. “I urge the PM to be present in SC meetings,” Bhattarai said.

UML Vice-chairperson Bidhya Bhandari said, “It seems the PM wants to prolong his stay in the office.”