Nepali Congress Demands Withdrawal of Constitutional Council Ordinance

Kathmandu. Nepali Congress has demanded that the government immediately withdraw the Constitutional Council related ordinance, stating that it was brought unconstitutionally and with malicious intent. 

A meeting of the party's central working committee on Monday concluded that the ordinance was brought against the spirit of the constitution and legislative intent, and that it attacked the democratic system and constitutional balance, informed acting chief secretary Krishna Prasad Dulal. 

 Congress opines that the provision made in Article 284 of the constitution regarding the Constitutional Council has been misused for political convenience.

The statement issued by acting chief secretary Dulal reads, 'The current government was formed with a special circumstance and immense public mandate, with good governance as its main objective. However, the ordinance brought by the current government to make political decisions in its favor, which is exactly the same as the provision brought by the previous government against the spirit of the constitution, is completely unconstitutional and malicious.' 

Congress has reminded that the provision of the Prime Minister presiding over the Constitutional Council, with the Chief Justice, Speaker, National Assembly Chairman, Leader of the Opposition, and Deputy Speaker as members, was kept for an inclusive structure and legality. Congress states that it is unfortunate that this provision has been attacked time and again. 

Congress has challenged the government to bring a bill in the parliament if the act needs to be reformed to manage appointments from the Constitutional Council and make them transparent. 'There are many issues that need to be reformed in the act related to the Constitutional Council, for which the government should bring a bill in the parliament. Nepali Congress will fully cooperate in making laws at a rapid pace,' Dulal mentioned. 

The meeting has cautioned the government that if the current structure of the Constitutional Council itself needs to be changed, it should adopt the legal path of constitutional amendment rather than the backdoor of an ordinance.