Bhattarai Claims Govt Decesion To Hold Election Constitutional

Kathmandu, May 29: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has claimed that the government's announcement to hold fresh elections to the Constituent Assembly (CA) on November 22 this year was constitutional.
Speaking at a Radio Nepal monthly programme "Prime Minister with the People" on Monday evening, the Prime Minister claimed that he announced fresh CA elections abiding by the constitutional jurisdictions.
He said the announcement was made in line with the Supreme Court's verdict and as per the Article 63 (2) of the Interim Constitution of Nepal.
Stating that 'apathy' on the part of the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML) towards going for federalism led the Constitutional Assembly to dissolution, he claimed that the CA elections would be held on the basis of consensus among all political parties.
Apologizing to the people for being a failure to give the new constitution within the slated date, he accused the Congress and the UML of causing obstructions in the constitution drafting at the last hour.
The Maoists was not for devising province based on ethnicity but for  giving rights to people from all classes and suppressed communities, he said, adding that it was the weakness of the top leaders of major political parties rather than of 601 CA members for not bringing constitution.
Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai claimed that his party would gain two-third majority in the coming CA.
At the programme, he was responding to people's queries from various parts of the country. The queries were related to current political developments.