The PDCC was mandated to prepare the document on the basis of a four-party agreement signed on Saturday and the report on public feedback prepared by the Committee on Citizen Relations and Public Opinion Collection.

PDCC Chairman Baburam Bhattarai presented the report amid protest by Madhes-based parties and the Rastriya Prajantantra Party-Nepal.

Deliberations on the report will begin at the CA on Tuesday. The report will then be forwarded to the Drafting Committee for preparing the final draft of the constitution.

Bhattarai told the Assembly that the six-province deal had ensured a new constitution while some regressive forces were trying to foil the constitution drafting process.

“The issues raised by marginalised communities, women and Dalits are valid but we should be cautious about the efforts of the regressive forces to dissolve the CA before constitution promulgation,” he said.

Referring to the obstruction of CA members from the RPP-Nepal and Madhes-based parties, Bhattarai quoted Karl Max to say that history repeats two times: first as a tragedy and second as a farce. “The dissolution of the first CA was a tragedy and the protest by the RPP-N now a farce in the CA.”

Bhattarai, senior leader of the UCPN (Maoist), said the political achievements of the republican order were under threat if the new constitution was not promulgated at the earliest. “We should promulgate the constitution adopting maximum flexibility, leaving room for struggle for more rights,” he said.

Before Bhattarai tabled the report, sections of CA members from the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML, the UCPN (Maoist) and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik criticised the new provisions saying that the concerns of women, Dalits, Muslims, Tharus and other marginalised communities were not respected.

CA member from NC Surendra Chaudhary said the 6-province federal set-up does not address the questions of resource, identity and culture in the Tarai. “The four-party syndicate has taken revenge against Madhes in a totally biased manner. This deal is arbitrary, hegemonic and totalitarian,” said Chaudhary.

Maoist member Ganesh Man Pun said the agreement failed to address the aspirations of Adivasis, Janajatis and Muslims and other communities. “The country should be federated on the basis of identity and capability. The pact is against agreements reached with Dalits, Tharus and the Madhesi people,” Pun said.

Several other members voiced their dissatisfaction at the deal. RPP-N Chairman Kamal Thapa rued that his party was not consulted while deciding the amendments. He called for restoration of the Hindu state respecting public views.