KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) leaders today discussed the peace and constitution-making processes ahead of the planned meeting of the High-Level Political Mechanism slated for tomorrow. NC vice-president Sushil Koirala and senior leader and former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba were also present in the meeting.

The meeting held at the NC parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar discussed the contentious issues of the forms of governance, state restructuring and roles of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) and the Special Committee on Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of the verified Maoist combatants.

According to NC spokesperson Arjun Narsingh KC, parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel briefed the meeting about the problems and prospects of constitution-making process.

The NC spokesperson, citing a clause of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), said, “If we look at the clause of the CPA and a clause of the Interim Constitution, it becomes clear that the integration process should complete before the promulgation of the new constitution.” However, the Maoists have been insisting that the integration and rehabilitation of the combatants and the constitution-drafting processes must go concurrently.

Asked to comment on the Maoist plan of calling the Special Session of Parliament to table a no-confidence motion, KC said, “It is a legitimate way and we appreciate their move”.

“It is a welcome step that they have chosen the legitimate means instead of toppling the government from the street,” KC added. He, however, was quick to add that it was not an appropriate time to seek a change of guard when the Constituent Assembly had just 75 days left to adopt the new statute.

Deuba rules out change of guard

KATHMANDU: Senior leader of the Nepali Congress (NC) Sher Bahadur Deuba on Sunday said that the NC will not withdraw its support for the present coalition government. Talking to media persons after a programme at Padma Kanya College in Bagbazaar Deuba said, “NC withdrawing its support for the government is out of question. I don’t know about any exercise being done in my party in this regard.” Deuba was addressing a seminar organised by Nepal Students’ Union, there.