Expressing their views on the Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (CA) report, members of the ruling parties have asked Nembang to begin the process.

Coming down heavily on top leaders of the major parties for failure to forge consensus, almost all CA members of the ruling parties, who spoke in the House over the last two weeks, have asked the CA chairman to initiate the process. Those from the opposition parties, however, maintain that the dispute must be settled through consensus.

Speaking in the CA on Monday, CPN-UML leader Surendra Pandey said the process should be started without delay.  

Arguing that the parties have no right to dissolve the CA without delivering a new constitution in the name of consensus, he asked the CA chairman to be more dynamic for promulgating the constitution.

“In  Parliament, Speaker’s role is neutral. But in the CA, the chairman should not maintain neutrality,” said Pandey.

As Pandey raised the questions on neutrality, Nembang directed him not to raise questions about his role. “I am well aware of what needs to be if the parties fail to forge consensus. CA members should focus their discussion on the report,” Nembang said.

Nembang has been feeling the heat after the contentious issues landed in the full House, with still no sign of an agreement among the parties. The ruling parties are pressing him to form a special CA panel to settle the disputed issues, while the opposition parties demand they be forwarded to the PDCC.

Nembang maintains that he will follow the rules of procedures if the parties could not reach an agreement.

Four party meeting inconclusive

A meeting of four major political parties on Monday ended inconclusively after top leaders stuck to their guns.

The meeting was summoned after the cross-party taskforce asked top brass leaders to settle the disputes among themselves. The taskforce had failed to come up with a consensus proposal on disputed issues of the new constitution.

Nepali Congress Vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel said the disputed issues were taken up by top leaders since discussions among the taskforce members could not bear fruit.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli stated that the parties present at the meeting put forward their respective positions. “I can’t say if the talks will end or not,” he said, “Most of the leaders are not willing to give up their positions despite assurances of flexibility during talks.”

UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, on his brief remark, said that the meeting could not muster any concrete outcome.

Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik Chairman Bijay Kumar Gachhadhar, representing Madhes-based parties in the meeting, said the talks were beneficial for every possible issue was discussed. He informed that another meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday.