KATHMANDU: With the growing pressure from all sides to decide names of states and demarcate their boundaries prior to promulgation of the new constitution, top leaders of four major parties – Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Unified CPN-Maoist and Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (Democratic) – on Sunday said they would make fresh attempts to accomplish the tasks before delivering the new constitution.

At a meeting called by Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang on Sunday , the leaders promised to work on settling the remaining federalism issues and incorporating the concerns of Dalits, indigenous people, women and media, according to Nembang. “I suggested the leaders to utilise the time for settling the remaining issues, as it will help to address the questions raised by various sides. The leaders realised it and expressed commitment to begin fresh attempts for the same,” said Nembang.

The parties also agreed to set aside 15 days for completing the task of collecting people’s feedback, Nembang said, adding that he instructed the CA’s Committee on Citizen Relations and Public Opinion Collection to bring a 15-day programme for the same. “The ongoing discussion on the first draft is likely to go on till July 7. After that the CA will endorse the provision for seeking people’s feedback either on July 7 or 9. The feedback should be collected by July 24,” Nembang said.

The feedback will then be forwarded to the Constitutional-Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee to incorporate it in the constitution draft and the CA will forward the related documents to the Constitution Drafting Committee for preparing the final draft. If the parties’ plan went on smoothly, the CA will be able to deliver the new statute by August 5.

In a 16-point pact reached on June 8 among the four parties, they had agreed to deliver the new constitution with eight-state model and let the state assemblies settle the names of the federal units. However, the leaders are under pressure to settle the issues prior to delivering the new statute within their parties, Madhes-based parties and due to an interim order issued by the Supreme Court on June 19.

Madhes-based parties boycott CA

KATHMANDU: The four dissident Madhes-based parties – Federal Socialist Forum Nepal, Tarai Madhes Democratic Party, Sadbhawana Party and Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party – boycotted Sunday’s CA meeting, saying that taking part in discussion was meaningless, as the CA was going to promulgate the new constitution without names or boundaries of federal units.

Meanwhile, during NC’s parliamentary party meeting, a majority of speakers demanded to either settle federalism issues prior to promulgating constitution or let the CA continue even after delivering the new statute until the CA endorses the boundaries as suggested by the proposed commission, said NC CA member Farmullaha Mansur.