Deliberating on the two reports on state restructuring prepared by the the CA Committee to Study and Determine Constitutional Records and the High-level State Restructuring Commission at the full House CA, a majority of the CA members expressed divergent views about the number, name and demarcation of provinces.  

Commenting on the issue, the UCPN (Maoist) CA member Prabhu Sah was of the opinion that parties should agree on nine-province federal model— five provinces on the basis of identity and four on the basis of economic viability— in the new constitution.

“Federalism should liberate the oppressed ethnic people by restructuring the nation on the basis of ethnic identity.   This will be a major step towards making Nepal a more inclusive and participatory society,” said Sah, whose party the UCPN (Maoist) champions single ethnic identity-based federalism.

Chairman of Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe warned that civil disorder would take roots and threaten  the country’s unity and social harmony if the subject of federalism is not handled  cautiously.  

“If the country is federated on the basis of ethnic lines, it will only segregate the population and create communal tension and disharmony,” he said.

Bijukchhe called for a 14-province federal model with equal distribution of natural resources among all the federal states.

Ashok Rai, chairman of Federal Socialist Party-Nepal (FSPN), however, argued  that identity-based federalism would not create any kind of ethnic tensions in the country as claimed by some sections in the society.

“The suppressed and the marginalised communities in the country are fighting for recognition and identity,” Rai said. “Opting for ethnicity-based federalism will help ensure them their identity. Only economic viability would not be sufficient in defining federal system,” he added.

Rai, who was a senior leader of CPN-UML earlier, had formed FSPN after the second CA elections, as  UML was against identity based federalism.

Likewise, Chairman of CPN-ML CP Mainali said federalism should ensure equal access to natural resources to all the people of the country.

 He said country cannot sustain more than three provinces and suggested that north-south approach should be adopted while carving out federal provinces.