Maoist ministers boycotted the cabinet meeting scheduled to take a decision on the bill as they were for extending the CA for at least six months. [break]The 601-seat body´s tenure is expiring on August 31 and the Interim Constitution needs to be amended for any extention as the tenure is mentioned in the statute itself. The amendment bill has to be endorsed by a two-third majority.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari, accompanied by other ministers, reached the parliament secretariat to register the bill as Minister for Law and Justice Prabhu Sah, a Maoist leader, boycotted the entire process following the dispute.
"We boycotted the meeting as friends from the UML categorically ruled out the possibility of making any changes in their proposal to extend the term for three months," Health Minister Lokendra Bista Magar told reporters at the prime minister´s office at Singha Durbar. He said they decided not to attend the cabinet meeting as "UML leaders tried to impose their party´s decision on us." He said they had proposed a six-month extension.
Explaining the rationale behind the Maoist proposal, Minister for Information and Communications Posta Bahadur Bogati said they floated the idea as the CA wouldn´t be able to work continuously during the festive season that has just begun and it will continue for just a few more months after that.
The Maoist leaders were irked by Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal´s proposal on extension for only three months as he had reportedly agreed to six months at a meeting of the ruling parties held at the prime minister´s official residence at Baluwatar earlier in the morning.
According to party leaders, former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha abruptly engaged in heated exchanges over the matter in the midst of the parties´ meeting called by the prime minister in the afternoon.
"When Madhav Nepalji stood strongly against an extension of more than three months, Home Minister Shresthaji reacted promptly," said a leader present at the meeting. When Shrestha insisted that the government come up with a reasonable proposal, Nepal asked what was the point of extending the term for a longer period if the parties would not be ready to work sincerely? Nepal asked what had been done in the past three months.
Leaders from other parties had also raised questions over the prime minister´s stance at the meeting. Chandra Dev Joshi of CPN (Samyukta), who participated in the meetings at both Baluwatar and Singha Durbar, asked what the official position of the UML was. "Yes, I raised the question at the meeting because the prime minister had agreed at the previous meeting to six months but later proposed three months only," Joshi told Republica. Upon Joshi´s query, Nepal promptly responded, "UML´s official position is only for three months."
According to the leaders, UML leaders Ishwar Pokharel and Bhim Rawal had insisted on a three-month extension at the previous meeting as well.
"I had smelt a rat at the Baluwatar meeting itself as Pokharel and Rawal were adamant on a three-month proposal," said one meeting participant.
The leaders claimed that former prime minister Nepal, KP Sharma Oli and Pokharel were the ones who forced Khanal to change his mind as the latter was positive toward a six-month extension until he concluded the Baluwatar meeting in the morning.
Officials at Baluwatar, however, claimed that it was not a big deal and the parties may forge consensus later at the time of tabling the bill in parliament. "The parties can reach a political understanding and settle it amicably later. Last time the government had registered a bill proposing a one-year term extension but later it was settled at three months," said Surya Thapa, the prime minister´s press advisor.
NC avoids all-party meeting
The main opposition Nepali Congress did not attend the all-party meeting at Singha Durbar called by the prime minister.
NC leaders said they deliberately avoided the meeting and termed it meaningless. "The ruling Maoists and UML should have consulted us much earlier but they invited us for the meeting only at the eleventh hour just to endorse their proposal," said NC Chief Whip Laxman Ghimire. "Therefore we deliberately didn´t attend the meeting."
Ghimire said the NC would focus its all-out efforts on pressing the Maoists on concluding the remaining tasks of the peace process. "During the talks, our main focus will be the agenda of the peace process," he said.
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