Top leaders of major political parties at a meeting of the CC´s dispute resolution subcommittee Thursday okayed the plan though it needs to be endorsed finally by the CC.[break]
As per the timeline, the subcommittee headed by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal will settle some 100 remaining disputes in the next five weeks, said a senior leader present at the meeting. At the same time, the subcommittee will submit periodic progress reports to the CC every 10 days. Also, the CC secretariat will be simultaneously preparing the integrated draft incorporating all the thematic reports.
If both the dispute resolution subcommittee and the CC fail to settle all contentious issues, CC Chairman Nilambar Acharya, with permission from CA Chair Subas Nembang, will table the remaining disputes in the CA for a vote. Fifteen days starting July 17 have been allocated for resolving the disputes through a vote in the 601- member CA.
After sorting out all disputes, the report will again be forwarded to the CC, and its secretariat will finalize the first integrated draft. A period of 15 days starting August 1 has been allocated for the purpose.
Finally, the CC chair will table the first integrated draft of the new constitution for deliberations in the CA on August 18. The CA´s renewed three-month term expires on August 31. While renewing the term, the political parties committed themselves to come up with the first integrated draft of the new constitution by that date.
Top leaders at the subcommittee meeting Thursday also floated a proposal to form three separate taskforces to study and suggest ideas on settling thorny issues including determining the form of governance and the electoral system under the new constitution, and the state restructuring model.
"Members of the subcommittee agreed in principle to form separate taskforces and we have decided to delve into it at the next subcommittee meeting on Friday," said subcommittee member Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress (NC).
According to a member, Maoist Chairman Dahal floated the idea saying that the top leaders, due to their engagement with various other political affairs, were too busy to concentrate on the minute details of various proposals and models. "He [Dahal] was of the view that it would be easier for them to take decisions once leaders with expertise in the respective sectors study in detail and come up with concrete ideas on various proposed models," the leader said.
Former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, NC leader Paudel, Sadbhabana Party leader Laxman Lal Karna and leader of CPN (Samyukta) Kalpana Rana are members of the Dahal-led subcommittee. Lawyers-turned lawmakers Khimlal Devkota from UCPN (Maoist), Radheshyam Adhikari from NC, Agni Kharel from CPN-UML and others have been providing expert inputs as invitee members.
The leaders are also mulling over including some expertise in the respective fields from outside the CC as taskforce members, if needed.