KATHMANDU: In a bid to let the Parliament resume its stalled businesses, the Unified CPN-Maoist floated twin proposals during its meeting with the Nepali Congress on Thursday.

The meeting was held to end the impasse in the House, which has remained stalled for the last two months due to Maoist obstruction over the President’s “unconstitutional” move on army chief Rookmangud Katawal.

The UCPN-Maoist proposed that they would allow the government to present only vote on account (peski bidheyak) and not the government’s policies and programmes and the budget for the coming fiscal year. They also proposed that the Interim Constitution be amended to define the role of the President and the Prime Minister.

Constitutionally, it is the President who presents the government’s policies and programmes in the full House of parliament. The fiscal budget is tabled at the parliament after the government’s policies and programme get through the parliament.

The Maoist’s fresh proposal is a clear indication that the party does not want to welcome the president in parliament. The party also wants

to paralyse the government by not allowing to present its

annual budget unless the PM addresses its single demand that the parliament discuss the President’s “unconstitutional move” on the Katawal issue. President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav had revoked

the then PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”-led government’s decision to sack

the army chief Rookmangud Katawal on May 3.

Ram Chandra Poudel, vice president and deputy parliamentary party leader of

the Nepali Congress, said that the UCPN-Maoist’s new proposals were were unacceptable to his party.

“We have not thought of amending the Interim Constitution to define the role of the President and the PM,” Poudel clarified.

He said the fiscal budget could be presented in the House without presenting and discussing the government’s policies and programme.

“It is a non-parliamentary practice to obstruct the parliament for long simply because a particular party is dissatisfied with the government on some issues,” he added. “It was the Maoist-led government which took unconstitutional step on the Katawal

issue,” he said.