In a political paper to be presented at the party´s Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting Wednesday, NC Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel has argued that holding the election in June is unlikely not only due to looming monsoon season but also due to various other ´technical´ reasons. [break]
"If there was no election in the third week of June, fresh election must be held by the third week of November," Paudel has said in the 13-page long political paper.
The last CWC meeting on Thursday had entrusted Paudel to draft a political paper to be presented in the party´s Mahasamiti meeting scheduled for April 8 in Nawalparasi district. The CWC meeting on Wednesday will make necessary revision before endorsing it for presentation at the Mahasamiti meeting.
Paudel has maintained that the decision of NC to agree on the leadership of Chief Justice-led Interim Election Council had created an environment for election in the country.
"Whatever we decided is absolutely correct in the given political context. This was our compulsion," he has stated in an apparent bid to convince those who have taken strong exception to the decision of the party´s leadership to agree on making head of the judiciary also the head of executive.
"We had floated the candidacy of party president Sushil Koirala for the prime ministerial berth. But as the Maoists turned down our proposal, we had no other alternative except to agree on the proposal that garnered the support of parties that commanded two-thirds majority seats in the erstwhile CA," Poudel has further said in the political paper.
Sources close to Poudel said the paper has devoted more pages to justify the decision of the party´s leaders to agree on CJ-led interim election government and address the concerns raised separately by 23 CWC members in the last CWC meeting. They have warned of taking their separate proposal even in the Mahasamiti meeting if their four-point proposal is not included in the political paper.
The four-point proposal presented by senior CWC member K B Gurung demands that Chairman of Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi should step down from the post of chief justice to keep the principle of separation of powers unchallenged, fresh election should be held by mid July, constitutional appointments should not be made except in the Election Commission and dialogues should be held with disgruntled parties to guarantee fresh election.
In the political paper, Paudel has also pointed out the need for holding dialogue with the agitating parties to ensure timely election. He has argued that NC should take proactive initiative to hold dialogue with the disgruntled parties and bring them onboard in the election process.
Paudel, likewise, has proposed that NC should not hesitate in forging alliance with other democratic parties in the upcoming election while cautiously adding that NC´s hold at the local level has strengthened considerably now than during the last CA election. "Party should stick to its stand that federal states should be carved on the basis of identity and economic viability," he has said while rejecting outright the demand of some parties to go for single ethnic identity based federal states.
On the economic issues, he has proposed to develop NC as a party of peasants and workers and engage party workers in the activities that help increase productivity.
While Poudel was asked to prepare political paper, the CWC meeting held last Thursday had given responsibility to party general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula to prepare the party´s statute amendment proposal to be presented at the Mahasamiti meeting. The CWC meeting scheduled for Tuesday was deferred by a day as both the leaders could not finalize their respective proposals on time.
Talking to Republica, General Secretary Sitaula said his proposal aims at addressing the concerns raised by district level presidents of the party. "We will see how their concerns can be addressed," he said. Most of the districts presidents had complained that existing statute had made them difficult to work as many provisions in the statute bar the district president from taking decisions.
The Mahasamiti meeting is expected to bring amendments to the party´s statute as per the suggestions made by the 12th General Convention, national gathering of the party´s district presidents, and suggestions received during the orientation of the party´s regional gathering.
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