Addressing a press meet organized at the NC headquarters in Sanepa on Saturday, NC President Sushil Koirala said the frequently changing stances of the Maoists on issues of federalism proved that the Maoists had been conspiring to dissolve the CA. “We were for promulgating a draft constitution by incorporating the agreed provisions, but the prime minister unilaterally chose to dissolve the CA," he said. He also said that the Maoists chose to create a constitutional vacuum as their past attempts at “capturing state powers” had failed.[break]
Koirala stressed that the only way out of the current constitutional crisis is the formation of a national consensus government. “NC and other democratic parties have decided to fight both the legal and political battles to ensure national consensus,” he further said. He said the protests of the alliance of NC and 19-party from June 8 onwards would help create an environment of consensus and force the “unconstitutional” prime minister to step down.
NC also refuted the Maoists´ and Madhes-based parties´ allegation that the party was against federalism. “The allegations are totally baseless and misleading,” said Koirala.
NC Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel argued that there was never a dispute between NC, UML and the Maoists on the issue of federalism. "We only had differences over single ethnic identity-based provinces,” he said.
Paudel said the parties failed to reach an agreement as the Maoists kept insisting on the 14-province or the 10-province model, apparently to appease the ruling Madhesi parties. The Maoist proposal, according to NC, failed to take into account the issues of capacity and identity as it had proposed two multi-identity based provinces in Tarai-Madhes districts and eight single-ethnic identity based provinces in the hill districts.
NC has maintained that the country is facing a constitutional crisis as the Maoists did not pay heed to alternatives floated by Speaker Subas Nembang. “The legislature-parliament, if not the Constituent Assembly, could have been saved. But the Maoists, it seems, never had faith on it," said Paudel.
Paudel argued that the prime minister´s decision to announce date for fresh CA election has proven that the CA dissolution was a planned move. “It is not difficult to understand that the Maoists always intended to capture state powers and impose autocracy by dissolving the bodies that keep a check on the functioning of the government. The Maoist took the move to impose totalitarianism after its past attempts failed to capture state powers," Paudel said.
NC, UML asks people to join peaceful anti-govt protests
KATHMANDU, June 2: Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have called on the people to join their "peaceful protest rally" being organized for ´national consensus´ from June 8.
Addressing a press conference in the NC Headquarters in Sanepa, NC Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel said the parties decided to protest to safeguard democracy and give a way out to the promulgate a new constitution by thwarting the Maoist bid to impose autocracy and capture state powers. "We appeal all people to take to the streets for peaceful protests to help bring the national politics to consensus," he said.
Issuing a separate statement, CPN-UML has asked all youths, students, professionals, journalists, writers, artistes, intellectuals, women, workers, peasants, dalits, landless and all justice-loving people to participate in the demonstrations.
A joint meeting of 19 parties who are against the prime minister´s move to ´unilaterally´ announce CA election have decided to expose the "unconstitutional move and conspiracy" of the Maoists behind the move through protests.
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