Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba will not attend the Constitutional Council meeting called by Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli Thursday evening.
NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma told Setopati that the main opposition leader will not attend the Constitutional Council meeting until the ordinance brought on Tuesday is withdrawn.
Oli on Tuesday had unilaterally issued the ordinance with a provision that allows decision in the Constitutional Council with support of the majority of the existing members without discussing the ordinance in the Cabinet meeting.
The existing Constitutional Council Act required presence of four members apart from the PM to constitute quorum, and decision taken through consensus.
Oli had unilaterally brought the ordinance, and President Bidya Devi Bhandari hastily authenticated it, after Speaker Agni Sapkota did not attend the meeting called Tuesday morning apparently under instruction of CPN Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
The ordinance was widely condemned by the opposition parties and ruling CPN alike. The majority of CPN secretariat members held meeting at Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's residence Tuesday evening and demanded immediate withdrawal of the ordinance.
Oli finally made an about turn and pledged to withdraw the ordinance in the standing committee meeting later on Wednesday after knowing that the faction of Dahal and Senior Leader Madhav Kumar Nepal prepared to demand special House session and register no confidence motion against him.
But he has still called the Constitutional Council meeting Thursday evening before withdrawing the ordinance.
