The Proposal Drafting Committee (PDC) of the Constituent Assembly (CA) has sought five days to finish its task of preparing a questionnaire on the disputed issues of the new constitution.
A meeting of the PDC, which was formed by the CA on 25 January, took a decision to this effect after failing to finish its task before its previous deadline that ended on Wednesday. Its previous five-day deadline had begun on 30 January when it held its first meeting.
The CA's meeting slated for Thursday, which was originally called to dwell on the questionnaire on the disputed issues of the constitution, is expected to grant five more days to the PDC.
In a press statement, the PDC has informed that it has already prepared questions on preamble of the new constitution, fundamental rights and constitutional bodies. But, it is yet to start preparing questions on the four major disputed issues of the constitution – basis of federalism, form of governance, electoral system and model of judiciary.
The PDC does not have a mandate to prepare questions on necessity of federalism, republicanism and secularism. Demanding a vote on these issues as well, the RPP (Nepal), a Hindu royalist party, has warned of protests.
On the other hand, the main opposition UCPN (Maoist) and Madhesi parties are against the formation of the PDC itself. They had obstructed the house several times to prevent the NC's chief whip Chin Kaji Shrestha from proposing the PDC. Three days after the 22 January deadline expired, the CA Chair Subhas Nembang himself proposed the PDC, which was immediately endorsed by the CA through a voice vote.
Since the formation of the PDC, there have not been any talks between the ruling NC-UML and the opposition UCPN (Maoist)-Madhesi Front.
Although Prime Minister Sushil Koirala gate-crashed into UCPN (Maoist) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal's house for an informal talk on the Martyrs' Day, there has been no progress since then. The UCPN (Maoist) has demanded dissolution of the PDC for resumption of talks – a precondition rejected by the NC and the UML.