INTENSE LOBBYING FOR AND AGAINST PROPOSAL TO EXTEND CA TENURE

RIVAL PARTIES LOBBY FOR AND AGAINST GOVT.PROPOSALTO EXTEND CA TENURE AFTER 28 MAY

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 16 May; Rival parties Monday intensified drives to either collect support or vote down in parliament a government proposal to extend the tenure of the constituent (CA) for another year after 28 May when its three-year tenure ends.
A constitution won’t be promulgated in the remaining 12 days although the people’s mandate to the assembly was to draft a basis law in two years.
The two-year elected CA tenure was extended by major parties themselves without consulting people. After the first two-year mandate was completed
A tradition has been to come out on the street and extend limited elected tenure of elected bodies.
Nepali Congress and other parties forced King Gyanendra to take an ‘unconstitutional decision’ to restore the completed tenure of an elected parliament which eventually toppled monarchy.
The parties that declared a republic was unelected and self-appointed
They were supported by ‘the international community’ to force the king to take an unconstitutional decision .
Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, who is also chairman of UML, Monday continued to seek to support for the government proposal to extend the CA tenure at a meeting with Rashtriya Janamorcha Chairman Chitra Bahadur KC
KC didn’t lend immediate support and instead said the party central committee will take a decision on the government request.
Khanal is meeting another communist splinter group CPN (United) Monday.
Another small communist party Nepal Majdoor Kishan Party based in Bhaktapur presented a 17- point demand to Khanal when the government doesn’t have a required two-third majority to approve the resolution
Meanwhile, main opposition NC also started lobbying for support for its demand for the dissolution of the communist majority Khanal government and formation of what it calls a ‘national government’ to complete the peace process and constitution drafting/
It’s opposed to the CA tenure extension.
President Sushil Koirala held separate meeting with Rashtriya Janaskahti Party Chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa and RPP Chairman Pashupati Shumshere Rana.
The three parties and three other Madeshbasi parties oppose a CA tenure extension.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav Monday dismissed possibility of presidential rule and said resolution to problems must be found in the assembly.
He said there’s no provision for presidential rule in an interim constitution.
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