TIME TO CONSIDER
The Kathmandu Post
13
September 2015
TIME TO CONSIDER
The last phase of new constitution drafting
process started from Tuesday at the Constituent Assembly (CA) after the Drafting
Committee Chairman Krishna P. Situala
tabled it for clause-wise deliberations (“CA begins Final RD of charter
process” September 9, Page 1). However, the political scenarios inside and
outside of the CA are totally different which has made the general public
curious on one hand and nervous and fearful on the other. It seemed as though the
three major political forces do not want to budge from their stance to
promulgate the new statute based on their arithmetic strength in the CA.
It is very unfortunate that Madhesh and
Tarai based political parties have left the CA due to discontents over the
high-handedness of the top three political parties. Now, Madhesii Janadhikar
Forum- Loktantrik (MJF-L), a signatory of the 16-point agreement, has also decided
not to participate in the last phase of the constitution drafting process
expressing dissatisfaction over the demarcation of the seven provinces.
Indefinite banda in the Tarai districts
against the seven province model have badly affected the daily lives of the
people. As claimed by Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, Chairman of MJF-L, what would have
happened if the major parties had agreed to his proposal of delineating eight
provinces which would have been acceptable to over 90 percent of parties and
pacified the agitating forces?(“Over 90pc of parties will support an
eight-province model” 9 September, Page 3). Seeing the ongoing unrests in
Madhes and Tarai districts, it does not seem that the new constitution will
bring long lasting peace and prosperity in Nepal.
Rai Biren Bangdel
Maharjgunj
