Miscellaneous
Lawmakers divided over federal set up
The Constituent Assembly (CA) members have been sharply divided over the modality of federal structures in the new constitution.
The UCPN (Maoist) CA member Prabhu Sah said parties should agree on 9 provinces— five on the basis of identity and four on the basis of economic viability— in the new constitution.
"Federalism should liberate the different opposed people and it should be inclusive and participatory," Sah said. The UCPN (Maoist) is championing for the single ethnic-identity based federalism.
Chairman of Nepal Workers and Peasant party Narayan Man Bijukchhe said that country will face the conflict if the issue of federalism is not handled properly. "If country goes in federalism on the basis of ethnic lines, it will create tensions in the country," he said. He said that the number of provinces should be 14 and there should be proper distribution of natural resources.
Ashok Rai, Chairman of Federal Socialist Party-Nepal (FSPN) however said ethnicity-based federalism will not create problems in the country. "The suppressed and margnalised communities should be given an identity. Only the economic viability is not sufficient," Rai said.
He said development is not an alternative to identity. He criticized the concept of multiple identity based federalism saying it would not solve the problem. Rai was a senior leader of CPN-UML before the CA election. He formed FSPN saying that UML stood against the identity based federalism.
Chairman of CPN-UML CP Mainali said all the people should have an equal access to natural resources while going for federalism. He said country can not sustain more the 3 provinces and while craving the provinces north-south approach should be adopted. The full House CA is deliberating on the reports on federalism. There is still sharp division among the parties regarding the modality of federalism.




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