Kathmandu: A top minister from Nepal`s
Terai plains bordering India on Sunday blamed the Maoists for the
delay in drafting of a new constitution amid efforts by the
former rebels to destabilise the coalition government.
Nepal`s Commerce Minister Rajendra Mahato, President
of the Terai-based Sadbhavana Party, dismissed the Maoists
allegations that the CPN-UML led government was obstructing
the drafting of the constitution.
The Maoists have not been acting in a responsible
manner which has, in fact, been delaying the process of
drafting the constitution, Mahato said.
"It is the Maoists, not the government, which is
obstructing the peace process and the process of drafting the
constitution," he said.
Talking to PTI, he asked the Maoists to behave like a
responsible civilian party instead of a militant outfit.
The political leaders are struggling to meet a May
28 deadline to finish the drafting of a new constitution as
stipulated by the peace process that brought the civil war to
an end in 2006.
Disagreements persist on such fundamental issues as
the structure of the national government and the creation of
federal states.
Earlier, Maoist hardline leader Mohan Vaidya had
accused the 22-party coalition of obstructing the peace
process.
Vaidya, vice president of the Unified CPN-Maoist,
demanded that a Maoist-led national unity government must be
formed to draft the constitution.
He also claimed the leadership of the High-Level
Political Mechanism formed to supervise the peace process and
earlier headed by late prime minister G P Koirala.
The three-member body has Maoist chief Prachanda and
CPN-UML president Jhalanath Khanal as members.
Vaidya said that the task of drafting the constitution
and integrating the former Maoist combatants should take place
simultaneously.
The Maoists plan to hold a massive rally on April 6
in the capital to destabilise the coalition.
PTI
