PM reaches out to disgruntled forces

Kathmandu, August 23

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala today issued statement urging the forces that are protesting the draft constitution, to take part in the constitution-making process and seek a negotiated settlement of their grievances.

The PM urged all the parties and communities, including women, Madhesis, Dalits, indigenous nationalities, Tharus, Muslims, OBC, minorities and deprived communities, who have been staging protests, to take part in the constitution-making process and seek peaceful and negotiated settlement of contentious constitutional issues. He also appealed to the forces outside the CA to be a part of the process to draft statute.

Issuing a four-page appeal late in the evening today, the PM said he was confident that there was no issue that could not be resolved through dialogue.

The PM stated that promotion of national unity and reconciliation was necessary to protect national independence, territorial integrity and the sovereignty.

He said walking out of the constitution-making process would affect peace, stability and prosperity. “It is our commitment to ensure a federal, inclusive and democratic republican constitution,” he added.

The PM stated that the constitution was a dynamic document wherein amendments were always possible.

He said people’s feedback was incorporated into the draft constitution and possibility of incorporating appropriate suggestions of the public had not ended yet.

“Therefore I urge parties represented in the CA to take part in the CA debate and put forth their demands. I sincerely appeal to the forces outside the CA to take their demands peacefully to the CA,” he said.

The PM said people wanted all their demands to be addressed in the constitution but it was also necessary to protect national unity, cordiality and harmony. “I am confident that all will understand the sensitivity of the situation,” the PM said in the statement.

He said the new constitution would a historic and an important document that would strengthen national unity, consolidate democracy and pave the way for economic prosperity.

Earlier the leaders of the three major parties had held talks with Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic Chair Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar on the constitutional issues. According to a source, Gachhadar warned the three parties — the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Unified CPN-Maoist — that if they did not agree on two provinces in Madhes, they would have to eventually agree on One Madhes, One Province agenda.

According to a source, Gachhadar issued a strong warning to the three major parties, saying a lot of water had flown under the bridge and the people of Madhes would not accept more than two province in Madhes.

“If you do not agree on two provinces in Madhes now, you will have to ultimately agree on single Madhes province,” the source quoted Gachhadar as telling the top guns of the three parties. Gachhadar, one of the signatories of the 16-point deal, walked out of Special Committee meeting on Friday protesting the three parties’ deal on seven-province model.