KATHMANDU, March 1: Nepali Congress (NC) has decided to work out through its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting the party´s official position on various contentious issues that surfaced during the constitution-drafting process.
A meeting of the party´s influential leaders held at the call of parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel at Singha Durbar decided to debate the contentious issues at the party´s CWC meeting scheduled to begin from March 3, according to NC lawmaker and CWC member Dr Ram Sharan Mahat. [break]
At the meeting, NC lawmakers Ramesh Lekhak and Radhe Shyam Adhikari, who are closely involved in the constitution drafting process, briefed party leaders on the contentious issues and the progress made so far in resolving them.
There are some 75 issues in the constitution-drafting process that the major political parties are still at odds over. Form of governance, judicial system, electoral system and type of legislative body are some of the thorniest issues the parties are yet to arrive at consensus over.
“The meeting was aimed at discussing what our position would be on various contentious issues. We have decided to settle the issues through the Central Working Committee meeting,” said NC lawmaker and CWC member Gagan Thapa.
The NC CWC is likely to witness heated debates about what form of governance to opt for with regard to election of the prime minister. Altogether 25 NC lawmakers including Pradip Giri, Purna Bahadur Khadka, Nara Hari Acharya and Gagan Thapa have expressed differing views on the CA´s thematic report, saying the prime minister should be elected directly by the people -- not from parliament as under the Westminster model, which is also the official NC position.
Some 12 of the 25 NC lawmakers expressing differing view on form of governance have been elected to the party´s CWC.
Likewise, the party has failed to present a concrete model on federal structure, and has argued that this is something to be decided by a high-level state restructuring commission comprising experts from the concerned field. The issue will also be discussed at the CWC meeting, according to party leaders.
The meeting chose coordinators from among NC lawmakers to oversee matters related to ministries that come under the purview of the parliamentary committees on which they sit.
The party has given the responsibility of coordinator for the Statute Committee under the CA to Ramesh Lekhak to look after matters related to the Ministry of Law and Constituent Assembly Affairs. Likewise, Narayan Khadka has been named coordinator of the Finance and Labor Relations Committee that looks after matters relating to the Ministries of Finance, Industry, Commerce and Trade, and Labor and Transport.
Lawmaker Arjun Joshi has been given responsibility as coordinator for the party in the State Affairs Committee, Ajaya Kumar Chaurasiya as coordinator for the Public Account Committee and Keshav Kumar Budhathoki as the party´s coordinator for the Development Committee.
Likewise, Mohammad Siddhiqi and Pramila Rai have been entrusted to act as coordinators for the party at the parliamentary Committees on International Relations and Human Rights and Natural Resources and Means respectively. Suprabha Ghimire, Indra Bahadur Gurung and Ambika Basnet have been named as party coordinators for the Women, Children and Social Welfare Committee, Security Special Committee and Parliamentary Hearings Committee, respectively.