• After six-province model, three parties agree on seven provinces

• Sitaula submits final revised draft of statute to CA chairman

Kathmandu, August 21

Three parties — Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Unified CPN-Maoist — today agreed on a seven-province model of federalism splitting the Province No 6 in the earlier model into two parts.

Following the agreement, Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee Krishna Prasad Sitaula submitted the final revised draft of the constitution to Chairman of the Constituent Assembly Subas Chandra Nembang late in the evening.

“I, now, can declare that constitution is drafted,” CA Chairman Nembang said after receiving the revised draft. He said the CDC had prepared the base of the constitution. “Once again we have proved that Nepali people are capable of drafting their constitution through CA,” he said, adding that the new constitution would represent the wishes of maximum number of people.

CDC Chair Sitaula urged all the unsatisfied leaders to try to find ways to include their issues through discussions within the CA, as there is still space to include their issues. Nembang said CA would begin discussion on the revised draft on Sunday.

Chairman of the Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee of the Constituent Assembly Baburam Bhattarai said the major parties today agreed on the seven-province model.

Talking to mediapersons at his office in Singha Durbar following the agreement, Bhattarai said five provinces of the six-province model remain the same except the Thori VDC of Parsa which was part of Province No 2 and has now been incorporated into Chitwan, which is in Province No 3.

He said the Province No 6 of the six-province model has been split into two parts, having the Humla-Karnali River as a border of the two provinces.

Bhattarai said all areas on the eastern part of the river will be a part of Province No 6, while the western part will be Province No 7.

He, however, said the parties had failed to forge consensus on remaining issues of secularism, threshold, judiciary, citizenship, rights of women, Dalit and Janajatis due to time constraint.

Bhattarai claimed that efforts would be made to resolve the remaining issues of the constitution till the last minute and the parties had also agreed to resolve the disputed issues through the voting process if they failed to forge consensus.

The top leaders, however, failed to address the concerns of Tharus, other indigenous nationalities and Madhesi parties, who have been agitating against the six-province model.

Bhattarai said Bijaya Gachhadar of MJF-D had said he would not oppose the constitution drafting process though he could not accept the seven-province model. “UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal also presented his differing view that Parasi to Kailali should be one province,” he said. The parties, however, have decided to promulgate the constitution standing united, Bhattarai said.

Fast facts

•    Province No 6 split into two, with the Karnali River as border

•    No changes in five provinces of the six-province model, except Thori VDC of Parsa (Province No 2) shifted to Province No 3

•    Efforts to resolve disputed issues to be made till the eleventh hour

•    Discussion on revised draft to begin on Sunday

•    Unresolved issues to be put to vote