Speaking on the report submitted by Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (PDCC) at the CA on Tuesday, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties advised their senior leaders to take the issue of constitution drafting seriously.

The general lack of seriousness among the top leaders in constitution drafting process has raised concern among the people that the country may not get the much-awaited statute this time as well, the lawmakers said.

They added that constant bickering over the content of the national charter has put them in bad light before public eyes, and that they have been taking the heat for the failure of the senior leaders to resolve the disputes.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Prakash Sharan Mahat said the senior leaders were still not engaged in serious discussion on the contentious issues of constitution writing.

“When the top leaders sit for talks, one party walks out the meeting. This shows that they are not serious at all,” Mahat said.

He added that though the senior acknowledge there are no big differences among them, they are at each other’s throats during in public events.

Sharan also criticised the main opposition, UCPN (Maoist), for announcing protest programme when the deadline for constitution promulgation is nigh.

CPN-UML lawmaker Ananda Prasad Pokhrel said the top leaders have been expressing their commitments to resolve the disputes and issue the constitution on time before media, but the truth is that there has not been any progress on the issue so far.

“We have been the victims of the failure of our senior leaders,” Pokhrel said, noting that the public trust on the parties is eroding.

The CA has been deliberating on the report presented by the PDCC on the debated issues of constitution writing and the views kept by the parties.

The ruling and the opposition parties are sharply divided on the contents and process to be adopted while drafting the constitution. As of yet, there is no sign of the parties reaching an agreement.

CA Chairman Subas Nembang has decided to give continuity to the debate in the CA unless the parties come up with a common suggestion to resolve the contentious issues of constitution writing.