Kathmandu, November 27:

In a veiled reference to CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala has said that bashing a foreign country is no nationalism.

Addressing a workshop organised by the Democratic Lawyers Association (DLA) on ‘New Constitution Writing Process and the Concerns of Nepali Congress’, former Prime Minister Koirala said, “Enhancement of the national power and unity among the national stakeholders can only strengthen the feeling of nationalism.”

NC CA members and democratic lawyers took part in the seminar. Koirala said his government gave priority to the politics of consensus, collaboration and unity between the

political forces but the Maoist led government was not according same priority to these factors.

“Some says we should follow foreign model on federalism, but I am in favour of our own model,” Koirala remarked. He, however, did not divulge the details on what kind of federalism he was advocating for. “We have to be cautious that our federalism does not become a source of tension in the future,” he said,” Federalism should bind all the geographic regions together.”

Stating that DLA could play vital role in sensitising NC CA members and other stakeholders on the tenets of a democratic constitution, Koirala urged the body of the democratic lawyers to organise such workshops across the nation.

“Maoists have come thus far with the help of parliamentary system, but now they are opposing this very system,” the octogenarian leader said adding that all the democratic forces needed to have a common front to help write a democratic constitution.

He said the NC affiliated bodies should organise different programmes across the nation in a way to help strengthen party’s organisational base.

NC CA member Govinda Raj Joshi presented a paper on Federalism. Joshi said that carving out of provinces on the basis of ethnicity and language was not possible as none of ethnic and linguistic groups was in a majority in a particular place. Joshi has proposed to carve out six provinces:Eastern province, middle province, Bagmati province, Gandak Province, West province and Karnali province.