KOHALPUR:Preparations were complete and hundreds of people had also gathered at Kohalpur to listen to the party leaders as the CPN-UML organised its programme on the sidelines of its district convention on Sunday.

Like the programme ritual of any other party, the participants were served the cultural shows, including songs and dances in the beginning. Thereafter, everyone was anxiously waiting for the chairman Jhalanath Khanal's arrival on the dais.

But no sooner it was announced that Khanal could not make it to the venue after the scheduled flight was cancelled due to adverse weather condition, than almost all participants began leaving the place.

The programme venue was almost deserted before the organisers suddenly had thought of an idea. Instantly, the MC declared that Khanal would be able to deliver his speech and requested all to come back to their place.

Then, the departing participants returned and took their seats wondering how the weather improved all of a sudden.

When they were informed that Khanal would deliver his speech from the telephone, everyone cheered and clapped.

In his half-an-hour long telephonic speech from the capital, Khanal said the status quoist nature of Nepali Congress and Maoist's extremism threw a spanner in the constitution drafting process.

"The NC has not been able to abstain from its feudalistic nature," he charged. The NC and Maoists have been obstacles for a common sankalpa prastav, hence for politics of agreement," he charged.

He also said that the Maoist activities of declaring republican states on their own challenged the existence of the Constituent Assembly. "It also proved that the Maoists still believe in hooliganism," he said.

Addressing his party cadre, UML secretary Yubaraj Gyawali said that the Maoists should shun the violence to involve in constitution drafting process.