CPDCC gets 4 days to sift through public feedback

Key provisions mysteriously removed with malicious intent: Bhattarai

KATHMANDU, July 30: After holding deliberations on the report on public suggestions on the draft constitution, the Constituent Assembly (CA) on Wednesday forwarded the report to the CA's Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (CPDCC).

The CPDCC will pick inputs from the suggestions collected during the public feedback campaign to be included in the draft constitution. The CA's Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) will then improve the draft constitution based on the CPDCC's recommendation.

CA Chairman Subas Nembang said the CA full House has given CDPCC four-day deadline for completing its task. "The four-day deadline will be strictly followed because it has been set with consent from CPDCC chair," Nembang told a group of journalists at the CA building on Wednesday.

The leaders have also decided to give the drafting committee four days to make changes in the draft.

A meeting of top leaders, including Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhesi People's Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) took this decision.

CPDCC chair Baburam Bhattarai, CDC chair Krishna Sitaula, chief whips of the major political parties and some other key leaders from the same parties were also present at the meeting.

According to participants at the meeting, the leaders reiterated their promise to promulgate the new constitution by mid-August.

However, CPDCC chair Bhattarai has accused some of the leaders of "mysteriously" removing key provisions from the draft with a malicious intent. He claimed that some of the key provisions which were endorsed through due procedures were "mysteriously" removed when the draft was published.

"Some of the issues settled at the CDPCC committee in consensus have been removed. Also, some other provisions were removed later," said Bhattarai during a meeting with representatives from the Federation of Nepali Journalists. "I wonder who made such changes in the draft overnight."

Bhattarai was so critical of the latest development that he went on to say, "I am seriously thinking whether to sign the death warrant or come up with an alternative."

He described the changes made in the draft as "not only a betrayal but also a criminal act."

He urged all those whose rights have been removed from the draft to make last ditch efforts to restore them when discussions take place in his committee. "As you all know, changing any provision by two-thirds majority in parliament is practically impossible," he said.

Lawmakers from various parties have construed Bhattarai's expression as "meaningful" as it comes on the same day the CA forwarded the feedback report to his committee for discussion.

"Bhattarai's recent activities and statements indicate that he may try to delay the process by raising disputed issues in his committee," said a lawmaker requesting anonymity.