Kathmandu: Civil society leaders have warned that the country could plunge into another conflict after the Constituent Assembly polls.  Predicting another conflict following the CA-election, they have also expressed their worries about it.  The civil society leaders have also taken exception over the upcoming CA polls putting CPN-Maoist, a big political bloc, out of the election process. They have warned that such election could be the recipe of the conflict.

Speaking at a face-to-face interaction programme organised today by Reporters Club Nepal in capital, they also suspect the intention of the major political parties for not bringing the CPN-Maoist on board the election process.

Constitutional lawyer Dr Bhimarjun Acharya accused the major political parties for leaving CPN-Maoist behind with the intentions of not promulgating the constitution and holding the CA polls.

Acharya accused the political parties of inviting confrontation by mobilising the Nepal Army in the CA polls. “The rationale of NA is also being put under stake by mobilising it during the polls after destroying legislative, judiciary and executive organs of the state ” he argued.

Claiming that the upcoming CA could not promulgate the constitution, Political analyst Mumaram Khanal dubbed the CA elections a mere drama. “The peace process has not reached a conclusion yet and the election boycotted by the force, a major part of the peace process, does not bode well to the country’s overall peace process,” he said.

Likewise, another political analyst Dr Surendra KC claimed that the CA polls were the grand design of the international forces to destablise Nepal. Reasoning that the position of all major parties is weak, he predicted that the polls could be postponed.

Human rights activist Charan Prasai claimed that the result of upcoming CA polls would be nothing more than handing over the government.  “Examples are that there were protests of indigenous nationalities and Madhes when their issues were not enshrined in the Interim Constitution. So, if we do not bring the CPN_maoist in board the election process, another protest by the Maoist is inevitable,” Prasai said.  He opined that there would be no difference in holding CA polls in March/April making an agreement with the CPN-Maoist.

Another human rights activist Sudip Pathak argued that the upcoming CA formed through this election can only form government, but not the constitution. “Such government would be a weakest government,” Pathak said.

Some of the senior leaders affiliated with the society expressed such confidence during an interaction program organised by the Reporters Club Nepal on Monday in the capital.

Chairman of Nepal Civil Society Himalaya Sumsher JBR asserted that a CJ led government should be unanimous at a time when political parties have failed to pick one among themselves.

He asserted that Chief Justice Khilaraj Regmi should be picked up for leading the consensus government with a provision to reinstate him as Chief Justice when CA elections are concluded and a new a government is formed, while speaking at the program presided by the Club’s president Rishi Dhamala.

Positioning himself and the civil society in favour of multiparty democracy, Sumsher opined that present conditions were not for confronting but were times to move ahead in consensus to preserve democracy.

Another speaker at the program, Chairman of Civil Society Nepal’s President Khem Raj Regmi, opined that a consensus government in CJ’s leadership would be instrumental in ending the totalitarian rule of the incumbent government and ongoing political stalemate.

He argued that considering the inability of political parties to forge consensus on a political leadership, the option to form consensus government in CJ’s leadership is the most appropriate one.
Similarly, Dr Dinesh Bhattarai, Madheshi Civil Society’s coordinator Ganesh Kumar Mandal, and leader Shyam Kumar Mahato also expressed similar opinions and backed their stance claiming that it is essential to preserve democracy.

While these leaders were rooting for CJ led government some other civic society leaders including journalist Kanak Mani Dixit had were appealing the President to reject the proposal to form such a government.

Earlier today, the major political parties had agreed to form an election government under an apolitical leader, mostly probably under the Chief Justice.

Issuing a press statement, senior journalist Kanak Mani Dixit and some legal practitioners close to Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) have asked the President to stop such process saying that constitutional process would be damaged if the sitting Chief Justice was made the head of the executive.

The journalists and legal practitioners had held a meeting at Yalamaya Kendra in Patandhoka.

Recently elected President of Nepal Bar Association Hari Krishna Karki, Vice-president Tikaram Bhattarai and former President Shambhu Thapa and Bhimarjun Acharya have issued such statement asking the President not to appoint CJ Regmi the new Prime Minister.

Recently elected NBA President Karki, Vice-president Bhattarai and former President Thapa are known as UML supporters while Thapa was UML’s candidate in the CA election from Udayapur district.

They have also said that leadership of the judiciary and executive should not be given to a single person as per the theory of power devolution as well.

Advocate Sher Bahadur KC said that the President would be urged not to accept such proposal as it would weaken the judiciary and take initiative for the formation of the new government under the political leadership.

Speaking at an interaction program organized by the Reporters Club in the capital today, Chairman of Nepal Civil Society Himalaya Shumsher JBR said the CJ-led government was the undisputed at a time when the political parties were not coming up clearly to this issue.

Club’s Chairman Rishi Dhamal presided over the interaction program.

JBR was of the opinion that the Chief Justice can be given the responsibility of the election government ensuring his return to judiciary after holding the election.

The civil society leaders also said that they were clear that political leadership was the best option in a democracy to safeguard democracy but this time the parties should not argue as most of the constitutional organs were in a shambles.

Chairman of Civil Society Nepal Khemraj Regmi said there was no option to form the CJ-led government as the government was running arbitrarily and the people were in a pathetic situation.

He also ruled the chances of problem in power balance after the CJ becomes the Prime Minister. “This is not the best alternative but is less disputed,” Regmi added.

Also speaking at the same program, Dr Dinesh Bhattarai also seconded the statements of JBR and Regmi adding that elected people’s representatives were required to institutionalize the achievements of the people’s movement.

Coordinator of Madhesi Civil Society Ganesh Kuamr Mandal said election was the first priority of the country to end the deadlock and the CJ-led government should be formed for holding a free and fair election.

Shyam Kumar Mahato of Madhesi Civil Society said there would be no problem in power devolution after the CJ was given top executive post. Immediate consensus was a must for holding the election to safeguard democracy, Mahato added.