The rally, “Backward March of the 601” drawn up on Sunday, November 29, by the Youth Pressure Campaign in Kathmandu, was largely successful with the large turnout of the participants on Monday. [break]
The backward march started from the western gate of the CA hall in New Baneshwor and culminated at Singha Durbar.
According to the Youth Pressure Campaign, an independent, informal, non-violent campaign of the youth, the march was necessary to mount pressure on the CA members in drafting the constitution on time. This was also a peaceful protest march against the questionable conduct of CA members in the parliament.
“It´s been six months since the deadline for drafting the new constitution was set but nothing is happening,” says Ujjwal Thapa, one of the organizers of Youth Pressure Campaign, adding, “Since the past six months, the CA members have sat down only once to discuss matters, which is very sad.”
Thapa shared that the Youth Pressure Campaign is going to move forward with more creative campaigns like the backward march to exert pressure on the political parties to come to a consensus and to draft the constitution on time.
(Photo: Bikash Karki)
The initial deadline for the new constitution to be drafted expired on May 28, 2010, but was pushed back by a year at the eleventh hour following the late night drama.
Sailesh Dhungana, founder of Bikalpa Foundation, a not-for- profit organization, said, “Though this campaign is being organized in small scale, it will definitely mount pressure on the government and the political parties and we´re sure they will take notice of this.”
He is of hope that the constitution will be drafted on time.
Raushan Kumar Jaiswal, a participant in the march, said that the peaceful campaign by the youth would not get enough attention of the government but it would go on. “We are doing this because the political parties lack consensus and are least bothered about drafting of the new constitution. It´s a shame that we still don´t have a new prime minister even after so many rounds of voting,” said Jaiswal.
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