NC to go to great lengths to lead unity govt

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress today mandated its top leaders to make an all-out effort to form a national unity government under its leadership before the promulgation of the new constitution. The party said it would do everything possible to ensure the promulgation of a new constitution by May 27.

A joint meeting of party’s Central Working Committee and Parliamentary Party held on the premises of the Constituent Assembly in New Baneshwor today reached a conclusion that a unity government under the party’s leadership was imperative to ensure the promulgation of a democratic constitution.

According to CWC member Narahari Acharya, PP leader Ramchandra Paudel cautioned the leaders and lawmakers about Unified CPN-Maoist’s indecisive nature to settle the disputed issues related to the constitution and form a unity government.

“It may be a ploy to remain indefinitely in power. We need to be alert to avert this danger,” Acharya quoted Paudel as telling the meeting. “It is necessary to form a unity government before May 27 to ensure the ownership of all the stakeholders and facilitate implementation of new law of the land.”

The party leaders, however, were yet to decide whether to move a no confidence motion against the Bhattarai-led government if their efforts to forge consensus among major parties on unity government failed.

According to Acharya, some argued that the proposal of the Mohan Baidhya faction of the Unified CPN-Maoist to change the government through no confidence motion and UML’s interest to force the prime minister to resign without ensuring NC’s leadership in the government were not reliable. Some added that if the government had to be changed, NC should seek reliable options. Some of the speakers are learnt to have told the meeting that UML was playing a game to up its bargaining power by demanding the prime minister’s resignation without officially committing to NC’s leadership.

“A majority of speakers asked the party leadership to decide on the government matter on their own, as this is a strategic issue,” said Acharya. He, however, said that a majority of members advised party leadership to give more priority to the constitution than the unity government.

NC General Secretary Krishna Sitaula told reporters that his party was committed to helping promulgate a federal democratic republic constitution by May 27 and would do everything possible to make that happen.

Some speakers suggested that the party should be flexible on the process of electing President and prime minister if consensus could be reached on NC’s proposal on federalism.

NC has officially proposed to carve out seven pradeshes and bestow political power to the Parliament.