A party politburo meeting on Friday formed the taskforce with a view to resolve intra- and inter-party differences and to bring about uniformity in the party´s proposals on the statute-writing process. [break]
The panel will also propose a federal model and number of provinces and suggest ways to resolve differences that have surfaced among the political parties while preparing the preliminary draft reports.
Senior party leader Bharat Mohan Adhikari, who served as a member of constitution drafting committee in 1990, heads the taskforce. UML Vice-Chairmen Bamdev Gautam and Ashok Rai, General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel and Secretaries Bishnu Poudel and Shankar Pokharel are members of the body. Other members are Ram Chandra Jha, Prithvi Subba Gurung, Rajendra Pandey, Urmila Aryal and Prakash Jwala.
The party has failed to project its official stance at the CA over a couple of issues. UML members in some of the thematic committees in the Constituent Assembly (CA) had stood divided. Five of the eight UML members in the CA Committee on System of Governance demanded cancellation of the vote they cast in favor of a parliament-elected executive prime minister.
Likewise, party leaders spoke against the 14-province model passed by the CA Committee on State Restructuring and Distribution of State Powers even though all eight UML members in the 43-member committee, including party secretary Pokharel, had voted in favor of it.
The UML members were divided on the provision for ensuring a preferential political right to the largest community in a given province.
During deliberations in the full CA, UML members expressed views for and against the 14-province model. Likewise, they were divided in their views between directly-elected executive prime minister and parliament-elected prime minister.
The taskforce will submit its report to the party´s forthcoming central committee meeting. After concluding deliberations on all 11 preliminary draft reports prepared by the thematic committees, the constitution writing process has entered the second stage. The Constitution Committee started work Friday to prepare a single draft report compiling all 11 preliminary drafts.
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