NC not to accept State Restructuring Commission

KATHMANDU, April 19: Less than 24 hours since its formation, the State Restructuring Commission (SRC) has drawn flak from opposition parties as well as coalition partner in the current government--CPN (UML). [break]



Main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has charged that the process of forming the SRC is in violation of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and it is also a serious deviation from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal´s repeated commitment to politics of consensus.



NC President and former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Sunday said his party will not accept the legitimacy of the State Restructuring Commission.



Talking to his party leaders at his residence in Maharajgunj, Koirala said the government formed the Commission without consulting the NC.



"The NC has not agreed to formation of State Restructuring Commission," NC vice chairman Ram Chandra Poudel quoted Koirala as saying during the informal meeting.



The CPA states that the government should form all Commissions related to peace process forging a consensus among all major political parties. Prime Minister Dahal during his April 15 address in the parliament reiterated that he would consult all major political parties while forming Commissions.



Poudel charged that the Maoists are bent on violating all past agreements including the CPA. "The Maoist-led government has continued taking major decisions unilaterally despite repeated commitment from Prachanda (prime minister Dahal)," Poudel said.



He said the government has to consult with all major political parties before forming any Commissions considering the long-term impact of such Commissions.



"Since the Commissions related to peace process are significant, the government must solicit suggestion from all major political parties including Madhesi parties," Poudel said.



He said the NC could have formed all the Commissions when it was heading the government in the past if it had chose not to honor the culture of consensus.



NC President Koirala had called the informal meeting to discuss preparations for the upcoming 12th General Convention of the party.



Koirala during the meeting directed the party leaders to prepare for the convention.



Senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, acting President Sushil Koirala, and General Secretaries KB Gurung and Bimalendra Nidhi, among other central leaders, were present in today´s meeting.

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