Valley
Package deal to be found to end stalemate
After parliamentary proceedings were obstructed for the sixth time in the past 20 days on Monday, major parties are said to be ready to find a way out of the impasse within a couple of days through a “package deal”.Sarin Ghimire
After parliamentary proceedings were obstructed for the sixth time in the past 20 days on Monday, major parties are said to be ready to find a way out of the impasse within a couple of days through a “package deal”.
An extensive deal on the constitution amendment bill that the government registered in Parliament on November 29, the impeachment motion against Lokman Singh Karki, the suspended chief of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, and election-related bills that are pending in the House will be reached between the ruling coalition of the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Nepali Congress and the main opposition CPN-UML in two-three days, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara.
During a meeting with Speaker Onasari Gharti on Monday, top leaders of the three parties reportedly pledged to give the current deadlock a logical way out through talks as soon as possible.
Maoist leader Ajaya Shankar Nayak, the minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs, was optimistic on reaching a deal on the three issues before the next meeting of the House scheduled for Thursday.
“The government is not looking to forcefully push things. Neither would we want to move forward unilaterally. We want to go ahead in consensus,” said Nayak. Condemning the UML’s obstruction, he urged them to allow parliamentary proceedings for the sake of the elections.
NC leader Ram Chandra Poudel also said talks between the major parties were centred on a deal on the three issues.
Under a possible agreement, the UML will have to allow deliberations on all the three issues if the government announces the date for holding the local polls.
Speaker Gharti warned the major parties that the amendment bill would not be removed from the House agenda unless all of them wanted it. The bill would be decided by a vote if there was no consensus.