A key member of the party´s rival Baidya faction that vociferously objected to the proposal on forming an expert panel -- instead of a commission -- for offering suggestions to the CA on state restructuring, Dev Gurung objected fiercely to the proposal on expert panel and UML´s Subba Gurung led the group of lawmakers from various indigenous communities lobbying against an expert panel.[break]
Dev Gurung said that they objected to the proposal on expert panel, thinking that the body would be parallel to the CA´s thematic committees and its report equivalent in weight to the report of the thematic committee on state restructuring.
"Once the expert panel is formed and endorsed by the 601-seat CA, it would become an integral part of the CA and its report would be an essential document for the constitution making process," Dev Gurung told Republica. "But it is not mandatory for the CA to accept the suggestions to be offered by the government-formed commission."
Subba Gurung argued that formation of the expert panel would be tantamount to creating two parallel committees within the CA and having two parallel reports on the same subjects.
"The CA would on moral ground be compelled to accept the suggestions offered by the expert panel formed by itself, but now it is in a comfortable position because it may or may not accept recommendations to be received from the government-formed commission," Subba Gurung, who is also coordinator of the caucus of lawmakers from indigenous communities, told Republica.
Leaders from major political parties had earlier agreed to form the expert panel as a middle way solution after the Madhes-based parties and Maoists stood against the proposal on forming a commission on state restructuring as envisioned in the interim constitution. Some months ago, it was Dev Gurung who led the Maoist lawmakers fiercely opposed to the formation of a commission.
But in a dramatic volte-face, Maoist Chief Whip Gurung lobbied in favor of the high-level commission immediately after the government headed by his own party registered a bill to amend the constitution with a view to paving the way for the formation of an expert panel -- and not a commission.
He not only rejected the party leadership´s instruction to him to issue a whip for Maoist lawmakers to vote in favor of the government´s bill but also led the group of lawmakers who lobbied against formation of the expert panel and demanded a commission instead.
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