A day after the major parties signed the 16-point deal on settling key contentious issues in constitution making, a meeting of CA plenary on Tuesday entrusted the CA's Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (CPDCC) with preparing a report on thorny issues in consensus.
The CPDCC now has business after it remained idle for five months. Previously, the CA had extended the committee's deadline for six times as it couldn't settle the disputes within the given timeframe."Now constitution making has finally returned to a consensus-based process," CPDCC Chairman Baburam Bhattarai told reporters after the meeting at Singha Durbar on Tuesday. "We at the committee will prepare a report in consensus and submit it to the CA full House on Thursday."
He was quick to add that there may not be consensus between all the 31 political parties represented in the 601-member CA. "But we will have consensus between sufficient number of lawmakers," added he. "Even those who differ can register their opinions in the report."
At the CPDCC meeting, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and chiefs of CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) briefed the committee members on the political agreement.
With the resumption of new CA process in the changed context, political parties have reached an understanding to fast-forward the task of statute drafting and promulgate the new constitution within a few months.
CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli said on Tuesday that the constitution making process will be taken ahead in a "super-fast pace" in the days to come.
"Prime Minister Sushil Koirala is the one who keeps repeating it [producing constitution in super-fast speed] the most. And, now the ground has been prepared for that. The task will now take off and pick speed," Oli said at a press meet held at UML head office in Balkhu.
While the major political forces have paved the way for expediting the task by settling the key disputes, the CA secretariat is preparing to carry out procedural works accordingly.
CA Chairman Subas Nembang informed that the CA is likely to endorse the CPDCC report without wasting much time in the full House and then forward it to the CA's drafting committee.
The drafting committee will most likely be given a period of around two weeks to prepare the first draft of the new constitution.
Nembang wants the top leaders to chart a timeline for promulgating the new constitution and carrying out other key tasks.
"The modality of receiving public feedback on the first draft and duration to be given for the purpose will be decided after the leaders come up with a timeline," said Nembang.
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