MAOIST CLAIMS NC, UML WILL PROVOKE PRESIDENT TO GRAB POWER Kathmandu, 25 May: The UCPN (Maoist) has said that the Supreme Court (SC) “went beyond its jurisdiction” in issuing the interim order staying the government’s move to extend the Constituent Assembly’s term, Kamal Dev Bhattarai writes in The Kathmandu Post.. The party said it was ready to entrust the “transformed parliament” with the task of sorting out technical issues if the constitution is promulgated on the basis of identity-based federalism. Leaders say the country may witness confrontation between the prime minister and the president if the parties fail to promulgate the constitution by May 27. “After May 27, they (NC, UML) will provoke the President to take power into his hand, but the PM will not resign which might create an environment of confrontation,” said Haribol Gajurel, a Dahal confidante. He however said his party was open to all options that ensure a new constitution from the CA. However, the Madhesi Morcha did not make any official comment on the SC decision. Though a few leaders said the SC seems to have taken an “unnecessarily activist line” in that it fast-tracked the decision on the writs, other leaders termed the court decision as positive. “The court decision is positive. We believe that there is no alternative to promulgating the constitution by May 27,” said TMLP Spokesman Sarbendra Nath Sukla. The other alternative, said MJF Loktantrik leader Jeetendra Narayan Dev, is to go for a fresh mandate. On possible alternative before May 27, the Maoist leaders said that there should be an agreement among parties to go for identity-based federalism. “If other parties agree on identity-based federal states, a new constitution is possible on May 27. The nitty-gritty of federalism could be finalised by the transformed parliament,” said Maoist leader Giriraj Mani Pokhrel. “We are open to all options that will ensure a federal constitution from the CA.” Earlier, in a meeting of four political forces, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal floated the idea that the parties should make an agreement to federate the country from 6 to 14 states and the “transformed parliament and Central Federal Commission can take a call on it. The Maoist party said the Supreme Court order is a breach of the jurisdiction of the sovereign CA. Attorney General Mukti Pradhan ruled out the possibility of CA term extension after the SC verdict. “Parties have no other alternative but to promulgate a new constitution by Mat 27,” he said. nnnn