A meeting of the former CA members held in Singha Durbar also criticized the party for ruling out the option of CA revival to resolve the ongoing political impasse. [break]
“We have decided to urge the party leadership to keep the democratic option of CA revival open,” said a former CA member Shobhakar Parajuli, who is among the former CA members lobbying for reviving the CA.
The reservation of the former CA members comes a day after the NC Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting formally decided to go for fresh Constituent Assembly (CA) polls, closing the option of CA revival altogether. The decision was taken despite reservation expressed by two senior leaders Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Poudel.
A national gathering of NC district presidents, held in Sindhupalchowk a few months ago, had kept the option of CA revival open amid NC senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel and some district presidents rooting for the CA revival.
In a joint press statement, the former CA members have said the party cannot afford to ignore political consensus and constitutional norms to end the current stalemate and protect democratic norms and institutionalize federalism in the country.
They have expressed surprise over the decision of the party, which always advocated for running the country through elected representatives, to bring an amendment to the constitution through executive decision.
Parajuli claimed that other former CA members including Prakash Man Singh, Gopal Man Shrestha, Laxman Ghimire, Baldev Sharma Majgaiya, Ramesh Lekhak, Nabindra Raj Joshi, Prakash Sharan Mahat, Bal Krishna Khand and Arzoo Deuba are also in favor of CA revival. "Though we have collected only 78 signatures of the total NC former CA members, those in favor exceed 90," he added.
The former CA members, however, clarified that they are not against fresh election. “We are in favor of holding election after promulgating a new statute based on consensus. This will only help resolve the current political deadlock,” the statement says.
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