The 14-point declaration issued after the two-day gathering on Tuesday said, "We have a view that a fresh election to a 240-member parliament that would also have the mandate to draft a new constitution is the best possible way to resolve the current political deadlock."[break]
The national conclave has proposed electing parliament that will draft a new constitution within a year and function as legislature for the remaining four years of its five-year term.
The conclave, however, has not completely ruled out CA revival, as a few of the district presidents including some senior leaders are in favor of reinstating the CA after settling all contentious issues. “
"... the party´s central committee can adopt appropriate process to resolve constitutional as well as political crisis through negotiations among political parties," states the declaration.
The gathering has also stressed the need for the party to forge an alliance with all democratic forces and spearhead a democratic movement to unseat the caretaker government-led by Baburam Bhattarai. "The formation of a national consensus government is the only way out of the current political and constitutional crisis," the declaration said.
The district presidents have urged the party´s central committee to pick the party´s prime ministerial candidate as soon as a credible environment is formed for national consensus. This comes in the wake of another opposition party CPN-UML asking NC to “immediately" pick its prime ministerial candidate to exert pressure on Prime Minister Bhattarai to quit.
In addition, the gathering has asked the party leadership to take initiatives for the formation of“a "reliable" and "effective" all-party mechanism to fill the political vacuum at the local level. It has also demanded that the party strongly raise the issue of providing compensation to the conflict victims and returning properties seized during the conflict.
Among other things, the national gathering has also demanded that the party call a Mahasamiti meeting within the next three weeks to bring some major amendments in the party´s statute to facilitate functioning of the district presidents.
The gathering criticized the government for failing to ensure smooth supply of fertilizers and seeds. NC district presidents have also expressed concern over government´s leniency in punishing criminals.
After the district presidents put forth their views Tuesday afternoon, a three-member group from each development region was formed to set agendas for the Barhabise Declaration. The agenda set by five different groups were later put together to give the declaration a final shape.
The district presidents who aired their views on Monday, among other things, strongly raised the issue of party unity and asked the top leaders to resolve differences in an amicable manner. They said both Koirala and Deuba should refrain fr“m "factional polit”cs" to strengthen the party.
Addressing the concluding ceremony, party President Koirala said he does not harbor any ambition to form a separate faction and that he has been working to forge unity in the party. "I respect your concerns. I have not gone against the party´s statute and rules," he said.
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