A meeting of the party’s Standing Committee at party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s residence at Lazimpat on Sunday also decided to urge its deserted leader Bhattarai to reconsider his decision.
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“I will now do what I can as a citizen of this country…” Lawmakers finally reached agreement in June this year, spurred by a 7.8-magnitude natural disaster two months earlier that killed almost 8,900 people and destroyed more than half a million homes.
“With the constitution already in dispute, Bhattarai’s resignation will… naturally encourage the protesters”, said Lok Raj Baral, executive chairman of the Nepal Centre for Contemporary Studies.
But Bhattarai was clearly not happy with the new constitution. However due to differences, he skipped a grand ceremony held by the government to celebrate the new constitution. He spoke in favour of the disgruntled Madhesi parties.
Former Maoist rebel Mr Bhattarai has consistently attacked legislators – including members of his own party – for not taking minorities’ concerns into account while drafting the Constitution.
In a recent interview with BBC Nepali Service, Dahal had dismissed his “new political force” as “an old story”. “As long as I am alive I will work for the country and the people”, he said.
But Bhattarai surprised many by announcing his resignation at a hastily called press conference.
Though announcing the resignation from Parliament and party, the leader said he could extend his support to resolving the existing political problems facing the nation.
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THE simmering unease in the Indo-Nepal ties over Nepal’s new Constitution was underlined on Friday with the Government here calling in the Indian envoy to raise the issue of “obstruction” in the supply of essential goods coming in from the Indian side, on a day when India again pressed for addressing of the unrest in this country “credibly and effectively”.
