Parties striving hard for forging consensus

Kathmandu, Jan 6: A meeting was held between Nepali congress and the 30-party alliance led by UCPN (Maoist) at Prime Minister’s official residence at Baluwatar today.

Following the meeting, UCPN (Maoist) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that the Constituent Assembly (CA) chair’s announcement that the parties should give him the mandate to prepare the draft of the constitution if they failed to sort out contentious issues has made the 30-party alliance serious and as a result parties were holding serious discussions on the different issues of a new constitution.

Leader Shrestha added that the parties were making their maximum efforts for the output.

Parties are divided in two opposite camps on the disputed issues of the constitution. Ruling parties and opposition parties have been found in different two poles on the issues.

Similarly, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal chairman Upendra Yadav has said that the meeting was focused on resolving the issues on a win-win basis.

The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Democratic) chairman Bijay Gachchhadar said that the meeting was centred on the issues of state restructuring and the number of federal provinces.

Prior to this, ruling party alliance had proposed 7-provinces federal modality whereas the opposition parties have proposed 10- provinces federal model.

Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala said that parties could forge consensus on the disputed issues within two or three days.

A meeting between Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) is scheduled for today to forge consensus with the 30-party alliance on the disputed issues. RSS