Kathmandu: Nepal will plunge into a catastrophe if the Constitution is not drafted by the May 27 deadline, former prime minister and senior leader of CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal has warned.
During a press meet at Sindhupalchowk district in the east of Kathmandu on Friday, Nepal asked the the ruling UCPN-Maoist to expedite the process of integrating former Maoist rebels into the Army for early conclusion of the peace process, saying that the Constitution cannot be drafted without completing the peace process.
“The country will plunge into a bigger catastrophe if the Constitution could not be drafted by the stipulated time frame,” he warned.
The task of drafting the new Constitution could be accomplished within the extended deadline of May 27 if the Maoists show sincerity in concluding the peace process, he pointed out.
But, he said that the Maoist combatants should not be represented in the Nepal Army as demanded by them.
The Government and the opposition parties have agreed to integrate 6,500 Maoist combatants in the national army.
The Maoists have demanded that its combatants should be represented in the proposed directorate by giving them high rank in the army. He stressed that the army integration will be carried out on the basis of the Seven-Point Agreement reached among the major political parties last year. The Maoist combatants will be recruited in the army by strictly following the standard norms of Nepal Army, he said.
“The Maoists should not make the entire country hostage by prolonging the army integration process through internal squabble surfaced within the Maoist party,” he added.
Nepal’s remarks come at a time when the internal rift has intensified within the ruling UCPN-Maoist.
Meanwhile, senior hardliner leader CP Gajurel, who is close to top hardliner leader Mohan Vaidya, on Saturday warned to launch agitation against the Maoist leadership and the Maoist-led government.
Gajurel said that it has become necessary to launch agitation against his own party leadership and the government, to safeguard national independence accusing the government is working against the will of the people.
We opted for the struggle as the party leadership and the government both have failed to implement the party’s decisions. He also disclosed that the faction is working out strategy to join hands with the opposition Nepali Congress and CPN-UML to move a no trust motion against its own government.
Gajurel also demanded scrapping of the BIPPA (Bilatral Investment promotion and Protection Agreement) Nepal has recently signed with India to promote bilateral trade. (PTI)