Four Political Parties Withdraw from Constitution Amendment Debate Task Force

Kathmandu. Four political parties have withdrawn from the 'Constitution Amendment Debate Paper Task Force-2082' questioning its relevance and validity. The task force, which was in the final stages of preparing its report after collecting suggestions from stakeholders, saw four major political parties within it raise questions about its relevance and validity, stating they could not participate in the preparation of the debate paper. According to Laxman Lal Karna, a task force member from the LSP, they had to withdraw because the ruling party could not clarify the subject on which it sought to amend the constitution, making their presence in the task force irrelevant. He stated that they had to withdraw because they could not agree with the need for a pro-and-con stance among parties on an issue like constitutional amendment and the government's desire to change the preamble of the constitution itself. 'They seemed to want to change the preamble of the constitution and undermine the spirit of federalism and inclusivity,' Karna told Ratopati. 'Undermining the preamble is contrary to the spirit of the constitution, republic, and federalism.' The task force, which began its work approximately 90 days ago, has reportedly collected about 41,000 suggestions from various stakeholders, including individuals, groups, political parties, and experts. The first meeting of the task force was held on Chaitra 25, 2082. Initially formed to prepare a debate paper within two months from the first meeting, the task force was given an additional month's extension until Jestha 25, making it a three-month period. Accordingly, the task force is supposed to prepare and submit the debate paper by Asar 25. Questions were raised as soon as the task force was formed, led by Prime Minister Balen Shah's advisor Asim Shah, stating that the convener was weak. Stakeholders questioned the government's light approach to a serious issue like constitutional amendment by not forming the task force under the leadership of a subject matter expert. The Nepali Congress, the second-largest party in parliament, did not participate in the task force led by Shah, while the CPN (UML) participated for a few days and then withdrew. Subsequently, only Rastriya Swatantra Party, CPN, JSP, LSP, RPP, and RM were in the task force. However, three days before the task force's deadline, CPN, JSP, LSP, and RM also put forward some conditions and stated they would not participate in the remaining process, leading to speculation about the task force's future. Mohan Lal Acharya, a task force member and MP of the ruling RSP, stated that the four parties' demands, such as changing the name of the task force at this stage, were nothing more than an intention to confuse and delay. 'Coming to this final stage after agreeing and participating in meetings for 83 days and then saying 'this is not right, that is not right' and wanting to leave is meaningless,' Acharya told Ratopati. 'If there were reservations, they should have been expressed at the beginning; the modality could have been changed!' Acharya also stated that he would not comment on the demands of the four parties as the convener had not said anything yet. 'Much will come from the convener,' Acharya said. 'The debate paper will not be stopped; it will be submitted to the Prime Minister within the deadline.' Dev Gurung of the Nepali Communist Party (CPN), Surendra Jha of JSP, Laxman Lal Karna of LSP, and Manoj Bhatt of RM, who are task force members, sent a joint letter on Monday stating that they would not participate in the report preparation if the fundamental issues of the constitution were not clarified. They stated that despite repeatedly demanding clarity on the relevance, validity, and jurisdiction of the debate paper being prepared for constitutional amendment from the beginning of the task force meetings, the government has not clarified these issues. 'We have repeatedly raised questions about the relevance and validity of the government's debate paper title from the very beginning of the task force meetings,' the letter stated. 'We have repeatedly asked for clarification on the task force's jurisdiction and the reasons and subjects for which the constitution is sought to be amended, but so far, no issues have been addressed by the government.' The four parties have demanded a written commitment not to alter the preamble and fundamental values and principles of the constitution. 'The government should initiate a national consensus by organizing an all-party meeting of the leaders of the parties represented in the federal parliament regarding which subjects to be amended and for what reasons,' the four parties stated. Manoj Bhatt, a leader of RM and task force member, said that although they were verbally assured of their demands, they were not convinced. Task force member Acharya clarified that the summary of the 44,000 suggestions, along with their numbers and types, would be included in the annex of the debate paper. 'Besides that, the parties' own positions will also be included,' Acharya said.