Kathmandu, July 6:

Civil society members today urged the political parties to act more responsibly to safeguard the achievement of the Jana Andolan II.

“The time has come for the civil civil society and professional organisations to take to the streets to ensure smooth functioning of the Constituent Assembly,” former chairman of Nepal Bar Association advocate Shambhu Thapa said.

The Madhesi leaders cannot press the CA to finalise the issue of One Madhes, One Pradesh when they had already agreed to address the issue by framing the new constitution, he said.

“Just like the Interim Constitution cannot restore monarchy, it cannot outline the states and their boundaries,” he said.

“The obstruction in the CA is the result of the desire of the political leaders to have their hidden agenda fulfilled,” human rights activist Krishna Pahadi said.

“Rather than visiting one or anther embassy, I urge all the party leaders to go for dignified politics and help draft the constitution at the earliest,” he said.

“By not nominating 26 CA members for over a month and by trying to pick loser CA candidates as nominees, the three big parties were trying to prove that everything is possible through an agreement between them,” he said.

Another civil society member Shyam Shrestha said: “Raising of the unjustified demand of One Madhes, One Pradesh by the Madhesi parties has threatened the existence of the CA.”

“The Madheshi leaders should understand that the demand of One Madhesh, One Pradesh is against the spirit of federalism. They are trying to create three unitary counties, and overlooking the ethnic, cultural and geographic diversity of the country,” he said.

He blamed the political parties for not being accountable to the people even after great political changes in the past two years.

CA member Nilambar Acharya said that the pro-Madhesh leaders should learn to bring their issues in the CA through official process.

Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat of the Nepali Congress said that some political forces were disturbing the Constituent Assembly with a thought that they can achieve anything in the transitional phase through this pressure tactic.