KATHMANDU, Aug 18: The Nepali Congress (NC) has called for the formation of a “Constitutional Amendment Recommendation Commission” under the chairmanship of a retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to recommend amendments to the Constitution.
The party said the government had failed to take the sensitive issue of constitutional amendment seriously and had formed a non-political committee without political consensus. It has therefore called for a high-level judicial commission as an alternative.
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NC Spokesperson Devaraj Chalise announced the party’s official position at a press conference on Tuesday, making public the decisions of the Central Working Committee meeting held from August 9 to 17.
“The government has not taken this issue seriously and has formed a non-political committee without political consultation,” Chalise said. “The Nepali Congress calls for the formation of a Constitutional Amendment Recommendation Commission under the chairmanship of a retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to introduce timely reforms while protecting the fundamental values of the Constitution.”
Chalise said the NC had earlier decided not to participate in the committee because the process adopted by the government made meaningful discussion on such a profound issue of constitutional reform unlikely.
He stressed that the constitutional amendment process must strengthen citizens’ ownership, rights, representation and trust in the state.
