We are ready for talks anywhere‚ anytime : DPM Gautam

KATHMANDU, February 22. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bamdev Gautam said the Constituent Assembly (CA) can not wait for opposition parties after February 28.

Receiving the Memorandum from the President of the Reporters’ Club Nepal Rishi Dhamala at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday, DPM Gautam clarified that the CA then move toward the voting process to frame the statute. Upon requests from opposition parties led by UCPN-Maoist, the constitution writing body has postponed the CA meeting sine die since February 12. No talks, however, has taken place between ruling and opposition parties since then.

“We are still for solution of the problem through talks,” Gautam said, “But we can not hold the nation hostage to indecision.” Claiming that many forces are trying to make the CA a failure, he said the ruling parties will not let them succeed.

Political leaders should not deprive people of the constitution for long, he said. Gautam, who is also a vice-chairman of ruling CPN-UML, said the opposition parties should not put any condition for talks.

The government is ready for talks anywhere, anytime, Gautam said, “Be it midnight, or on an airplane.” Refuting the opposition charges that the ruling parties do not want talks, he said, “were we against talks, why did we call for the same?”

The opposition alliance has been protesting the CA’s decision to form the Proposal Drafting Committee (PDC) to draft questionnaires on key constitutional issues to put them to vote. The parties have been demanding that the issues should be decided through inter-party talks in consensus, but not through voting.

The parties, however, have not paid any heed to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala’s two appeals to resume talks and evolve consensus.