Pokhara, December 15:

Central committee member of the Nepali Congress (NC) Dr Shekhar Koirala said today that the NC will never go for fully-proportional constituent assembly (CA) polls. Speaking at a city-level programme of NC cadres here, Dr Koirala said: “Fully proportional polls will lead to the fragmentation of the country.”

Stating that the NC had opted for a federal democratic republic, Dr Koirala said there was no alternative to the CA polls. “The CA polls should be held by Chaitra next,” he said, adding that the poll date should be fixed with the consent of the seven parties. Dr Koirala said that had the CA polls been held on November 22, the country would have become a full-fledged republic by now.

Dr Koirala added that the declarations of a republic and fully proportional polls by a majority vote in the interim parliament were against the provisions of the interim constitution.

Stating that the NC will neither submit to the king’s autocracy nor to the Maoists’ dictatorship, Dr Koirala said: “The NC wants to boost people power.” He added that the pro-Maoist Young Communist League had let loose a reign of terror and called for an end to its activities.

Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives Chitralekha Yadav said that the peace process was limping and that districts in the Tarai were witnessing a rise in crimes like abduction, extortion and murder. She urged the seven parties to work together to put an end to “spiralling lawlessness”.

A report from Biratnagar quoted CPN-UML leader Bamdev Gautam as saying today the CA polls are impossible until the NC sticks to autocratic style.

NC leader Nara Hari Acharya urged all the parties to give up their rigidness. Another report from Rupandehi quoted Minister for Education and Sport Pradip Nepal as saying today that CA polls would be held by mid-April. He was inaugurating the sixth anniversary function of the Rupandehi Business Organisation. A report from Daman quoted Speaker Subas Nembang as saying today that there is no alternative to making a new constitution after holding the CA polls. He was inaugurating the first anniversary of the Daman-based Pratidhwani FM.

Pact reached to end impasse: Nepal:

CHITWAN: CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said on Saturday that the seven political parties have reached an agreement to end the prevailing political impasse. He said that the government will be changed if the CA polls are not held by mid-April. Speaking at the inaugural of the sixth district conference of the Chitwan chapter of the CPN-UML, he said: “The CPN-UML is not in favour of changing the government now. But the government will be changed if the polls are not held by mid-April.” He said, “If the government fails to hold the polls by mid-April, it will lose the moral authority to stay in power.” — HNS