Kathmandu: Nepal’s efforts to draft its new constitution were hit by a fresh political jolt on Thursday, with the Deputy Prime Minister walking out of the Maoist-led government against the cabinet’s controversial move to seek another extension to the Constituent Assembly.
Nepali Congress leader and Deputy Premier Krishna Sitaula tendered his resignation from the Maoist-led coalition government, expressing his party’s serious objection to the move to extend the the constitution drafting body’s tenure beyond the May 27 deadline.
Sitaula said given that the constitution is unlikely to be completed within the May 27 deadline, there was no point in remaining in the cabinet to back the government. He also said that the term of the CA cannot be extended against the ruling of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had few months ago ruled that the CA term could not be repeatedly extended and the court had set a May 27 deadline before the political parties to finish the process of constitution drafting.
Sitaula is the leader of the two-member cabinet team of the second largest party Nepali Congress that had recently joined the government. He said his other cabinet colleague from the party, Surya Man Gurung, has also decided to resign from the post. Sitaula said he believed there was still a possibility of promulgating a draft constitution by May 27 if the political parties show some seriousness.
“The draft constitution can be announced within the deadline by putting aside some contentious issues to be decided by the Parliament later on,” he said.
After Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s government on Tuesday decided to extend the CA term for another three months, three separate writs have been filed in the apex court seeking an annulment of the decision.
Sitaula also said that it is the Nepali Congress’ turn to lead the national unity government in line with the five-point agreement reached among the major parties last month.
However, the Nepali Congress has not yet made official its decision on whether it would withdraw support to the coalition government led by Bhattarai immediately.
The party’s top officials were meeting at the party’s central office to decide on issues of importance, including whether to continue supporting the Bhattarai government and what approach to adopt when the government tables the proposal relating to the extension of the CA in the Parliament. Both the biggest ruling allies, the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, have opposed the Prime Minister’s move to seek an extension to the CA tenure. Support from the NC and the CPN-UML is crucial to get the Prime Minister’s move endorsed from the Constituent Assembly.
On Wednesday, a CA member belonging to Nepali Congress, Radheshyam Adhikari, resigned from his membership to protest against the government’s decision to extend its term beyond May 27. (PTI)