As per cross-party agreement, PDCC Chairman Baburam Bhattarai requested all parties in the CA to submit their position in writing. Following the agreement, some Maoist leaders criticised Dahal and Bhattarai saying that it was a blunder. NC and the UML leaders are also publicly saying that there has been an agreement to submit parties’ proposals.

Dahal and Bhattarai, however, are saying that there had been no such agreement on joint proposal. “Either joint or single, it was the blunder of our leadership to

agree to let parties present their positions,” a senior Maoist leader said requesting anonymity.

Maoist leaders said Bhattarai also committed mistake by not submitting the PDCC report incorporating the disputed issues of new constitution to the CA on November 2 as it provided time for ruling parties to register their joint proposal. Maoist leaders also said the ruling parties deceived them by registering their proposal in a secret manner.

Earlier, all proposals were tabled at the PDCC but they were not registered. “We registered the joint proposal as per the agreement among the major parties,” NC and UML leaders said in their document on Sunday.

‘Limited time to forge deal’

Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman Subas Nembang said on Sunday that it is not possible to promulgate a new constitution if parties fail to forge consensus by next week. He said he communicated to the top leaders of major parties that they have limited time to forge consensus. Nembang met with the top leaders of ruling parties and held telephone conversation with UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to inform them about the constraints of time. The CA chairman is of the view that it would not be possible to complete the procedures if consensus is not forged by next week.

He, however, said it statute drafting is possible through by amending the calendar if parties strike a deal without any delay. He said he would take personal initiations to forge  consensus among parties.