In an exclusive interview with Republica on Sunday, Yadav said political parties represented in the erstwhile CA should sit together to resolve the contention issues so as to ensure promulgation of the new statute through the people´s representative body. “We had completed almost 90 percent work on constitution writing in the erstwhile CA. There is no guarantee that the new CA will deliver a new constitution unless the remaining 10 percent contentious issues are resolved beforehand,” he said. [break]
Yadav argued that the parties should either hold an all-party political conference or make a similar arrangement to settle the remaining contentious issues. “Draft constitution prepared this way could be endorsed through the elected body,” he said. “This will not only provide opportunity for people to see the draft constitution before it is endorsed but also guarantee its promulgation through the people´s representative body.”
Yadav also said that once a draft constitution is prepared by all the political parties represented in the erstwhile CA there is no need to hold fresh CA election. “We can go to the people with draft constitution once it is ready. Then we do not necessarily need to go to the fresh Constituent Assembly election,” he said. “People´s representatives elected through the parliamentary election could endorse the draft constitution.”
The proposal comes in the wake of leaders of various parties floating various proposals on drafting the new constitution.
While NC leader Dr Shekhar Koirala has proposed entrusting independent experts with the responsibility of drafting the new constitution and holding a referendum to settle the contentious issues, senior leader of CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal has argued that referendum should be the last resort if parties fail to reach consensus within six months after election of the new CA.
Yadav, however, is against the idea of holding a referendum and has said that referendum on contentious issues may lead to disastrous consequences. “Referendum on such issues in a least developed country like ours may invite disaster and divide the people. And it would take a very long time to bridge such a divide,” he added.
Yadav further claimed that referendum on contentious issues would not help resolve the problems. “We had a referendum in 1980s on whether people wanted improved Panchayati system or multi-party system. Though improved Panchayati system was favored by the people then, this did not solve the problem permanently,” he said. “Political change was inevitable in 1990.”
Yadav argued that parties must prioritize dialogues to arrive at consensus on the contentious issues of the new statute. “Referendum is not the solution,” he added.
The erstwhile CA dissolved without promulgating a new constitution as major political parties differed over issues related to number of federal states, their names and system of governance. “I think five or six federal states are best suited to our country,” he said.
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