Kathmandu, November 9:

Vice president of the Nepali Congress Gopal Man Shrestha today accused the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist of “making a political barter” on the issues of a republic and proportional electoral system by going against the constitutional provision and earlier agreements among the seven parties.

Addressing a programme at the Reporters’ Club, Shrestha said the Maoist “disrupted the November 22 constituent assembly election” by calling the special session of the interim parliament at the time of filing nomination of candidates.

He also said that the special session was called without reaching an understanding among the seven parties and it created fissure in the seven-party unity.

“UML’s amendment proposal which came as a motion of public importance is weaker than the proposal forwarded by the Nepali Congress as a resolution,” he said.

He also asked the Maoists to return to the government if they were really sincere to holding the assembly election within 2064.

Standing committee member of the CPN-UML Bharat Mohan Adhikari said that a positive message of the special session of the interim parliament was that the Maoists entered the parliamentary exercise.

Defending his party’s proposal for a republic, Adhikari said that the House not only passed a

resolution for a republic but also expressed its resolute to hold the election within 2064, embolden the seven-party unity and hold elections on fully proportional basis.

Adhikari appreciated Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s neutral role in the parliament by not taking part in the voting. He also made it clear that his party was not in favour of changing the guard in the government until the constituent assembly election.

Netra Bikram Chand, a central leader of the CPN-Maoist, however, said it might require a change in the government’s leadership if it “fails to fulfil the aspiration of the Jana Andolan”. To say that the parliament’s decision could not be implemented is to deny the people’s mandate, he said. He, however, added that the parliamentary decision on republic and electoral system was not linked to the PM.

Hridayesh Tripathi of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) said that it was not necessary to pass any proposal on republic in the parliament as all the major political parties have officially committed to it. He said his party abstained from the voting in the parliament as his party was against the idea of fully proportional electoral system understood and explained by its proposers. Former justice of the Supreme Court and coordinator of the interim constitution drafting panel Laxman Aryal said not all political issues should be brought to the parliament as proposals of public importance. He also said that the two proposals passed by the interim parliament lacked constitutionality.