Four political parties have withdrawn from the task force formed to prepare a discussion paper on constitutional amendments, citing objections to its process.
The task force was established by the government under the leadership of Asim Shah, political advisor to Prime Minister Balen Shah.
Most political parties, except the Nepali Congress, had sent representatives to the task force.
Among them, the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP), and Rastriya Janamorcha (RJM) have now exited the task force.
Their representatives – Dev Prasad Gurung (NCP), Surendra Jha (JSP), Laxman Lal Karn (LSP), and Manoj Bhatta (RJM) – submitted a joint letter to task force coordinator Asim Shah on July 6, formally announcing their withdrawal.
They argued that if constitutional amendments are to be discussed, the current process for preparing a discussion paper should first be scrapped.
“A clear commitment must be made that the preamble of the Constitution and the articles and sub-articles related to its fundamental values will not be touched,” the four representatives said in a joint statement. “If amendments are needed, the government should organize an all-party meeting of leaders from parties represented in the Federal Parliament to discuss which subjects need amendment and for what reasons, and take initiatives for national consensus.”
A Cabinet meeting held on March 30 had decided to form the task force, following which Asim Shah was appointed as its coordinator.
Meanwhile, the prime minister's secretariat said that the task force has reached the final stages of writing its report.
The secretariat added that the task force is preparing to submit the report to PM Shah within the second extension granted by the government.
However, the secretariat confirmed that some members had left the task force.
"Despite the task force coordinator's maximum flexibility, representatives of opposition political parties who had participated in the process of preparing the discussion paper until the end have acted irresponsibly by leaving the task force, submitting a withdrawal letter," the secretariat said.
The four parties’ representatives had been part of the task force for 83 days prior to their departure.
