As he was noting down public feedback on the draft constitution, a lady on the phone requested him not to end conversation.
"I have an important suggestion. Please convey it to the CA," she said. "The new constitution must have a provision of capital punishment for those involved in heinous crimes such as rape."
Like her, many Nepali citizens across the country have demanded capital punishment for people involved in heinous crimes such as rape, said Bhattarai.
Another lady called from Nepalgunj and insisted that her call be forwarded to the drafting committee. "Nepal must be a Hindu state, not secular," she said. According to the staffers at the secretariat, an overwhelming number of callers have demanded restoration of Nepal as a Hindu state.
The CA has been receiving mixed feedback on federalism. Some of the callers demanded reducing the number of provinces, while others were for completely doing away with the idea of federalism. Some callers also demanded delineation of provinces prior to promulgation of the new constitution.
"Some of the callers said they were for finalizing the issue of federalism through a referendum," said Bhattarai.
Callers have also suggested directly electing the chief executive of the country. People have also demanded local polls immediately after the new constitution comes into effect.
Callers have also suggested that a minister should at least be a graduate in any discipline. Similarly, callers have also suggested expanding the jurisdiction of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority for effective corruption control.
CA secretariat has set up a toll-free number (16600122344) for the public to offer their suggestions on the draft constitution.
According to Bharat Gautam, spokesperson for the CA secretariat, as many as 950 feedbacks have been received through phone until Wednesday evening. "Likewise, we have received nearly 1,500 feedbacks through our website and an overwhelming number of people have given their feedback through email," said Gautam.
The CA secretariat will forward the feedback received on phone to the Citizens Relations and Constitution Suggestions Committee (CRCSC) of the CA on July 21.
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