According to cross-party leaders, there are enough areas of compromise if the party chiefs are willing. Despite hours-long negotiations between top leaders, major parties on Friday failed to make any headway towards settling the contentious issues. Parties are still hopeful of consensus and have decided to hold talks on Saturday as well. The number and borders of federal states and religion have emerged as prickly issues.

Top leaders of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, UCPN (Maoist) and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik have been discussing the agendas for a week but there has been no agreement. Pressure piled by CA members across the party line to keep some geographical areas and zones undivided has also complicated the issue of demarcation.

Leaders said they are discussing six-province, seven-province and eight-province models. Regarding the districts, disagreement remains over the alignment of Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Kailali and Saptari districts.

According to NC leader Ramesh Lekhak, new disputes have emerged over some mid-western districts and the Lumbini zone. A meeting of the Constituent Assembly was called on Friday with the hope of consensus but it has been postponed till Saturday.

Maoist Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the NC and the UML created new disputes by backtracking on their positions when the discord concerning the five districts was “resolved”.

“We are ready to move ahead by registering a note of dissent but the NC and the UML seem to lack the intention of settling the delineation row,” said Shrestha.

The delay in building consensus has affected the tentative calendar of the parties to bring out a new constitution by August 16. Earlier in the day, a meeting of top Maoist leaders had decided to push the process by expressing their note of dissent.

NC MPs seek 4 Madhes states

KATHMANDU

Twenty eight Madhesi lawmakers from the Nepali Congress on Friday submitted memoranda to Prime Minister and NC President Sushil Koirala and Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nembang expressing their dissatisfaction at the proposed six-state federal model. In a meeting with PM Koirala at Singha Durbar, they demanded four states in the Tarai. Since the population of the Hills and the Tarai is equal, they stressed that the number of the states in these geographical regions should also be equal.

In the five-point document, the lawmakers demanded that four of the eight states provisioned in the constitution draft should be in the plains and have only the Tarai districts. If six states were to be formed, three should be in Madhes.

The lawmakers also pressed for proportional representation and inclusion as fundamental rights.

They urged the continuation of the Interim Constitution provision on citizenship in the new charter. Those who submitted the memorandum are Farmullah Mansur, Surendra Prasad Chaudhary, Amresh Kumar Singh, Ramayodhya Prasad Yadav, Tejulal Chaudhary, Chandra Mohan Yadav, Minakshi Jha, Rajendra Bahadur Amatya, Pyarelal Rana, Radhe Chandra Yadav and Haresh Prasad Mahato.

Others in the group are Bhotane Devi Khawas, Sabitri Devi Chaudhary, Deep Shikha Sharma Dhakal, Sarwat Ara Khanam, Dinesh Prasaila Yadav, Sitaram Mahato, Buddi Sagar Chaudhary, Madhu Shai Thakuri, Sangita Mandal and Sita Devi Yadav.

Lawmakers Radhe Chandra Yadav, Mukta Kumari Yadav, Ganesh Kumar Mandal, Ram Chandra Chaudhari, Ram Krishna Yadav, Abdul Rajjak and Badshah Kurmi are the other signatories.

Meanwhile, lawmakers from Saptari and Siraha urged Chairman of the Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee Baburam Bhattarai to carve out one state incorporating Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha and Udaypur districts.