The lawmakers from UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and Madhes-based political parties, among others, accused the commission of further complicating matters by touching some crucial issues already settled by the CA´s committee on state restructuring and distribution of powers.[break]
The lawmakers were of the view that the commission´s report should be taken merely as suggestions and that the CA should select only those proposals deemed suitable, and should be free to discard others. The SRC report was tabled in the 601seat CA on Sunday for deliberations.
The government formed high-level SRC, which has been divided throughout its term, prepared and submitted two separate reports to the prime minister. The majority nine members of the commission proposed a 11-province (including one non-territorial) model whereas a group of minority members suggested a six-province model.
The proposal to form a non-territorial province, which would protect the interests of Dalits spread across the country, was fiercely criticized by lawmakers from all the political parties during the deliberations.
Maoist lawmakers Hitman Shakya and Bishwabhakta Dulal, who were also members of the CA´s thematic committee on state restructuring, described the commission´s proposal to give some of the residual rights to the provinces as a welcome decision whereas Shankar Pokharel of CPN-UML stood against the proposal.
"We at the CA´s committee had decided that the residual rights should be vested with the federal government for some years given the transitional period, but the commission has proposed that the residual rights concerning to the issues of a province can be given to a particular state whereas the residual rights involving inter-state or central matters shall be vested with the central government. This can be accepted," Dulal said.
Shakya said the majority proposal is right in principle because it has tried to give priority for identity in its spirit. "But at the same time it has several flaws," Shakya said.
Shakya demanded that the CA committee´s report be taken as the major basis for future federalism and that only some of the positive provisions proposed by the commission be adopted.
Narhari Acharya of Nepali Congress said there are several flaws in the report and only a few of provisions can be welcomed. "It is positive that the commission has reduced the number of provinces," said Acharya. "Similarly, the removal of preferential political rights from the provincial level is a welcome decision."
Lawmakers from Maoist, NC and UML lawmakers vehemently opposed the commission for entering into the CA´s thematic committee´s decision to form three-tiers of federalism -- central, provincial and local.
As per the commission´s proposal, the province may or may not form local levels. "The commission blundered by putting the matter of forming local levels under the purview of province even as the CA´s committee had already unanimously decided to form three tiers of federalism," said Shankar Pokharel of CPN-UML. Maoist´s Dulal echoed him.
Pokharel opposed the idea of dividing the residual rights in central and provincial levels. He said the residual rights should be vested with the federal government for some years.
Also, Sarbadev Ojha of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (Democratic), Chandrika Yadav of MPRF-Republican and MPRF-Nepal´s Jayram Yadav and Jitendra Prasad Sonal of TMDP termed the report erroneous. They emphasized that the One-Madhes-One Pradhes concept should be adopted.
Minendra Rijal of the NC fiercely criticized the idea of ethnicity-based federalism. "Migration can be a basis of economic prosperity. We can learn lots from the United States in this connection," said Rijal.
But, another NC lawmaker Jipchhiring Lama not only lobbied for ethnicity-based federalism but also warned the top leaders of serious consequences if the political leadership stood against federal structure based on ethnicity.
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