KATHMANDU: Chairman of Constitutional Committee (CC) Nilambar Acharya today said the remaining four-month tenure of the Constituent Assembly would be insufficient to draft a perfect constitution.

Acharya told legal experts that the CA could draft a constitution at any cost within the time but the product would not necessarily be very good. The CA’s tenure ends on May 28.

“Four months will be insufficient since we have several agenda to sort out,” legal expert Anil Kumar Sinha quoted Acharya as saying. “We have to go to the public with the draft statute and settle numerous political issues, including state re-structuring, in the period.”

The CC chairman did not clearly intend to extend the CA’s tenure but was worried over the time limit to settle contentious issues, Sinha said. “He was worried about the implementation aspect of the constitution promulgated hurriedly.”

Acharya urged the lawyers to press political parties to settle disputes regarding state restructure as well as other technical issues. Prominent lawyers Purna Man Shakya, Pushpa Bhushal, Leena Rikkila Tamang, Tirthaman Shakya and Krishna Man Pradhan also met Acharya in Sighadurbar to hand over a commentary note jointly prepared by the CA secretariat, Nepal Law Society and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, compiling views of experts on the concept papers of the CA committees.

The note suggested that the CA make special arrangement for the development of women, Dalit and indigenous people as well as the backward classes, children and the elderly.

It also suggested strictly prohibiting discrimination on the bases of caste, descent, community and profession. The commentary recommended limiting the number of constitutional bodies in the new statute

in order to avoid duplication of role and a financial burden, and suggested replacing the word ‘Rashtrapati’ (head of the state) by ‘Rashtrapramukh’ in order to avoid gender bias.