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| Kathmandu, Tuesday April 01, 2003 Chaitra 18, 2059. |
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PM Chand, Dr Bhattarai
share single platform
Constitution is dead, it is time to
build a new one: Bhattarai
Post Report
KATHMANDU, March 31 : As Prime Minister Lokendra
Bahadur Chand and other political leaders echoed the popular desire for lasting peace in
the country today, Maoist leader Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai attacked the constitution, terming
it dead, and exhorting all political forces to come together to build a new constitution.
"There is no constitution at present, it is
a constitution-less state. You (political parties) have already burnt down the
constitution," Dr Bhattarai said at a rare meeting attended by ministers,
representatives of almost all the political parties and members of the civil society at
the Birendra International Convention Centre.
Dr Bhattarai also reiterated his party’s
long-standing demands: of round table conference, of interim government and of the need to
rewrite a new constitution through constituent assembly elections. That, he said, would go
a long way toward ensuring "equal opportunity for all: the indigenous people from the
hills and the terai, the dalits, and the women, who need to be represented equally in the
government".
"Let’s not go into our model of new
democracy, let’s sit down, discuss and devise a model that’s suitable for our
country," he said. "The geo-strategic position and the situation are such that
we can’t run away just like this. If the political parties can’t play the
expected role, then the civil society should come forward."
Borrowing the term used by former prime minister
Kirti Nidhi Bista, who earlier called for rapprochement and reconciliation between all
nationalistic forces, Dr Bhattarai said that it was indeed a golden opportunity for the
Nepali people, and called on all sides to "make hay while the sun shines".
"If we can utilise this golden moment, our
nation can make a giant leap...our people can prosper and hold their head high," he
said.
At the meeting, Dr Bhattarai was accompanied by
Maoist military strategist Ram Bahadur Thapa (Badal) and leader Dev Bahadur Gurung. The
Maoist leaders were seating next to Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Home Minister
Dharma Bahadur Thapa, Speaker of the House of Representative Tara Nath Ranabhat and
Chairman of the National Assembly Dr Mohammad Mohasin.
The event was the sixth anniversary celebrations
of Reporters’ Club Nepal.
Clad in his usual bluish black suit and hat, Dr
Bhattarai described today’s meeting of the leaders and members of the civil society
as the start of the round table conference. "This is the kind of round table
conference we are talking about," he said. "We are really serious, that’s
why we are here. We just want to sit together and discuss what we can do together. And any
body can host the conference."
About his meetings with Nepali Congress
President Girija Prasad Koirala and CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, he said
that "the outcomes are positive", and added that he would be meeting Rastriya
Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chairman Pashupati Shumsher Rana and other leaders next.
At one point, the rebel leader also shared
smiles with the Prime Minister and shook hands with him, as the audience cheered and many
press photographers hastened to capture the moment.
Welcoming the cease-fire and the ongoing peace
process, Prime Minister Chand said that the government was working to prepare the code of
conduct for talks. "Things are moving ahead quite positively, and nobody is against
peace in the country," a relaxed Chand said. "And I believe that we will rise
above individual and party interests for maintaining lasting peace in the country."
Former prime minister Kirti Nidhi Bista
described the present situation as a golden time, and urged all the political forces to
create an environment for reconciliation and resolution of the conflict. "Or else it
will be too late, and foreign powers could invade us and make our country their
playground," he said.
Standing Committee Member of CPN-UML Bam Dev
Gautam described the event as a historic turning point and urged all the political parties
to "shoulder the historic responsibility responsibly".
He appealed to the rebel leaders to "forget
the idea of going back to the jungle" and "work very much seriously" toward
restoring peace and stability in the country. At the same time he criticised the
government for failing to speed up the dialogue process.
However, Nepali Congress General Secretary
Shushil Koirala urged everybody to think twice before "meddling with the preamble of
the 1990 constitution". "The constitution is simply the best. And what we want
is that we safeguard the achievement of the popular movement of 1990," he said.
RPP Chairman Rana urged all the parties to start
preparations to make the dialogue process successful and called for measures to speed up
the process of "reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation". He also
urged parties to rise above individual and party interests.
Hridayesh Tripathi of Nepal Sadbhavana Party
urged the rebel leaders to make the dialogue process participatory, so as to address the
root causes of all the problems such as deprivation and backwardness of various ethnic and
dalit communities of the mountains and the plains. "Or else another ...ram will enter
the jungle - even if Baburam gives up and comes back," he said.
Rajeshwor Devkota of Nationalist Front, which
groups smaller parties, urged the rebel leaders to make peace "the basic human
rights" as the main precondition for talks. "Now there is peace, and peace
cannot be an issue of debate," he said.
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