POKHARA: Foreign minister Sujata Koirala today said the Unified CPN-Maoist should join the coalition government to take the peace process to a logical conclusion and draft the new constitution within stipulated time.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the first general convention of the Nepal Cultural Association in Pokhara today, Sujata said the UCPN-M should join the government. “All the political parties should work seriously to draft the constitution within the stipulated time. The nation will face severe consequences if the constitution was not drafted on time,” Sujata said, adding, “There is no alternative to consensus and unity.” Sujata also said the new constitution would be drafted within the given time frame if all the political parties were serious towards it.

Saying that Nepal is a multicultural and multi-ethnic country, Sujata stressed on the

need to forge unity among all castes and ethnic groups. “Role of artistes is important to strengthen democracy in the country,” she said.

Speaking on the occasion, minister sans portfolio Uma Kanta Chaudhary said civilian supremacy was impossible without establishing constitutional supremacy in the country. Chaudhary also said the government had the twin responsibility of writing the new constitution and taking the peace process to a logical conclusion.

“People have started suspecting that the UCPN-M might be trying to revive monarchy in the name of baby king,” he alleged.