KATHMANDU, Aug 3: The Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (CPDCC) of the Constituent Assembly (CA) has failed to decide which of the provisions in the draft constitution to change and which not on the basis of public feedback even as the deadline given to the committee for the purpose expired on Sunday.
Leaders at a CPDCC meeting on Sunday decided to seek a few more days to settle unresolved issues.
"The committee decided to make further efforts as top leaders of the special committee have reached an understanding that at least delineation of provinces should be resolved before finalizing the draft constitution," CPDCC Chairperson Baburam Bhattarai told reporters while emerging from the meeting at Singha Durbar.
Bhattarai has adjourned the committee meeting until further notice.
The CA full House had last week tasked the committee with sifting through thousands of suggestions and recommending changes to the draft constitution by Sunday.
Parties mulling to move ahead shelving the delineation issue
But the committee failed to accomplish the task within the given timeframe as top leaders, who are also members of the committee, reached an understanding to resolve the issue of delineation of provinces before finalizing the draft constitution.
The CPDCC had earlier formed a special committee comprising chiefs of major political parties with the mandate to decide major issues related to federalism, religion and citizenship, among other crucial provisions.
Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhesi People's Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) are members of the special committee headed by Bhattarai.
During feedback collection, a large number of people raised their voice for changing the word "secular", while others objected to provisions related to citizenship.
However, CPN-UML leaders at the CPDCC meeting strongly objected to the committee's decision to take more time for settling disputes.
CPN-UML leader Keshav Badal at the meeting described the decision as a move aimed at derailing the constitution making process. "I objected this decision because this is a ploy to derail the constitution making process," Badal told reporters while emerging from the meeting. He also claimed that this decision goes against the recent 16-point deal that helped settle key constitutional disputes and expedite the constitution making process.
Though Badal was the only UML lawmaker to officially register the party's view at the meeting, other members of the party also expressed their reservations over the decision.
CPDCC member Rajan Bhattarai from the same party said that his party is strongly against delaying the process on any pretext. "We are also ready to resolve the delineation issue but the constitution mustn't be delayed on any pretext. We suspect other parties have revived this issue with a motive to derail the process," said Bhattarai.
Also, Chairman of Nepal Workers Peasants Party (NWPP) Narayanman Bijukchhe at the meeting claimed that the top leaders were trying to delay the process at the behest of foreign forces.
"The issue of delineating provinces has been revived after some leaders visited New Delhi. They have been doing so as per instructions from New Delhi," a CPDDC member quoted Bijukchhe as saying at the meeting.
