Govt registers CA term extension bill
KATHMANDU, May 13:
The government today put a seal on what was inevitable; it registered a motion at the parliamentary secretariat seeking extension of Constituent Assembly term, which is expiring on May 28, by one year.
But the government move today came sans the nod from the opposition parties.
Following a Cabinet meeting today, Law Minister Pravu Sah, Education Minister and government Spokesperson Ganga Lal Tuladhar and Health Minister Shakti Basnet reached the parliamentary secretariat and registered the motion.
Prior to today’s Cabinet meeting, more than 10 parties had arrived at decision that CA’s term ‘should be extended with justifications solid enough to convince people’.
Stating that major issues related to the constitution had been sorted out, the government has claimed that it was imperative to extend the term of the supreme body elected to write a new constitution to give final shape to the statute by addressing the outstanding issues.
The main opposition Nepali Congress and three Madhes-based parties, however, had snubbed the meeting called by Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal who returned only today after cutting short his Turkey visit.
The motion registered today seeks an amendment to Article (64) of the interim constitution so that the existing three-year term of CA, as its two-year term was extended last year by one year, could be changed into four years. If the motion is endorsed, which requires approval from a two-third majority, the interim constitution will see its ninth amendment since it came into force in 2007.
Commenting on today’s development, NC Chief Whip Laxman Ghimire said the proposal (to extend the CA term) was unacceptable to the Congress unless the army integration process was carried forward, seized properties were returned, paramilitary structure of Young Communist League was dissolved and state restructuring commission was formed. “NC was not consulted before the prime minister took the decision and the unilateral move is nothing but an attempt to lead the country towards conflict,” said Ghimire.
Sharat Singh Bhandari of Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic said his party was not in favour of extending CA’s term ‘without making any concrete progress on management of (Maoist) arms and armies’. “Even if parties strike a consensus before May 28, we are not for one-year extension,” said Bhandari. Asked if the government could get the motion endorsed, Bhandari said, “The issues related to CA should be addressed through consensus, not by numbers.”
Source: THT
The government today put a seal on what was inevitable; it registered a motion at the parliamentary secretariat seeking extension of Constituent Assembly term, which is expiring on May 28, by one year.
But the government move today came sans the nod from the opposition parties.
Following a Cabinet meeting today, Law Minister Pravu Sah, Education Minister and government Spokesperson Ganga Lal Tuladhar and Health Minister Shakti Basnet reached the parliamentary secretariat and registered the motion.
Prior to today’s Cabinet meeting, more than 10 parties had arrived at decision that CA’s term ‘should be extended with justifications solid enough to convince people’.
Stating that major issues related to the constitution had been sorted out, the government has claimed that it was imperative to extend the term of the supreme body elected to write a new constitution to give final shape to the statute by addressing the outstanding issues.
The main opposition Nepali Congress and three Madhes-based parties, however, had snubbed the meeting called by Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal who returned only today after cutting short his Turkey visit.
The motion registered today seeks an amendment to Article (64) of the interim constitution so that the existing three-year term of CA, as its two-year term was extended last year by one year, could be changed into four years. If the motion is endorsed, which requires approval from a two-third majority, the interim constitution will see its ninth amendment since it came into force in 2007.
Commenting on today’s development, NC Chief Whip Laxman Ghimire said the proposal (to extend the CA term) was unacceptable to the Congress unless the army integration process was carried forward, seized properties were returned, paramilitary structure of Young Communist League was dissolved and state restructuring commission was formed. “NC was not consulted before the prime minister took the decision and the unilateral move is nothing but an attempt to lead the country towards conflict,” said Ghimire.
Sharat Singh Bhandari of Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic said his party was not in favour of extending CA’s term ‘without making any concrete progress on management of (Maoist) arms and armies’. “Even if parties strike a consensus before May 28, we are not for one-year extension,” said Bhandari. Asked if the government could get the motion endorsed, Bhandari said, “The issues related to CA should be addressed through consensus, not by numbers.”
Source: THT
