• Next meeting at 11 am on Thursday, July 2

KATHMANDU: The preliminary draft of new constitution was presented before the full house of Constituent Assembly on Tuesday evening.

As the Constitution Drafting Committee chairman, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, tabled the draft, which the CDC said is an integrated dossier that incorporates differing views floated by different political parties also, at the CA meeting, Madhes-based parties protested it.

Expressing their dissatisfaction over the procedure of preparation of the draft and that is to say the 16-point agreement forged by the four major parties on June 8, Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal, Tarai-Madhes Democratic Party and Sadbhawana Party chanted slogans at the CA and tore the copies of draft.

Amid hullabaloo, the CA chairman ended today's meeting and scheduled next one for 11 am on Thursday, July 2.

Emerging from the CA, Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal leader Upendra Yadav later said the constitution without federalism was not acceptable. He accused the major parties of taking decisions unilaterally.

Earlier when the Constituent Assembly meeting started, Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal's Chairman Kamal Thapa demanded that the issues of monarchy or republican setup, Hindu state and federalism be decided through referendum.

When some lawmakers objected to the ongoing process of constitution drafting despite the Supreme Court’s stay order against the 16-point agreement, the CA chairman said the Constituent Assembly was a sovereign body and it would carry on the ongoing process.

He then asked CDC Chairman Sitaula to table the integrated draft of new constitution.

As Sitaula reached the rostrum to present the draft, Nepali Congress lawmaker Pradeep Giri expressed his dissatisfaction over the CA chairman and walked out from the CA. He had sought time to speak, which Nembang denied, saying the Constituent Assembly Regulations that the lawmakers themselves prepared did not let them to speak against the chairman.

As per the original schedule, the draft was to be presented before the CA yesterday. It, however, could happen as the UCPN-Maoist, one of the four signatories of the 16-point agreement, expressed objection to some provisions in the draft.