Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba will not attend the meeting of Constitutional Council called by Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli on Sunday.
Deuba has sent the message to PM Oli through NC leader Ramesh Lekhak. NC leaders feel that Oli is trying to influence the anti-government protests across the country planned by the party for Monday by sharing spoils for constitutional appointment.
The law requires mandatory attendance of main opposition leader in Constitutional Council meeting. Ruling CPN has also scheduled standing committee meeting on Sunday. NC leaders also suspect that Oli has called the Constitutional Council meeting on Sunday to avoid the standing committee meeting.
"The intention to call Constitutional Council meeting when the opposition party has scheduled nation-wide protest and there is meeting even of ruling CPN does not seem good," NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma told Setopati.
Almost four dozen constitutional positions remain vacant in lack of agreement among different factions in the ruling CPN and main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) to share spoils.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) are without chiefs, and four and two members respectively. Similarly, the Election Commission does not have two commissioners.
The National Women Commission, Dalit Commission and other bodies are also without office-bearers.
