Need Constituent Assembly : Daman Nath Dhungana

Pokhara Dec 23 -Former Speaker and senior advocate Daman Nath Dhungana said on Thursday that the current crisis could be resolved only through Constituent Assembly (CA) elections under a ceremonial monarchy.

Speaking at a programme to mark the golden jubilee of Appellate Court Bar Association in Pokhara, Dhungana said the problem faced by the country could not be solved without election to a constituent assembly.

He said that the political parties, the Maoists and the people in general should decide the status of the king. “The King should remain only as a ceremonial monarch,” he added.

One of the drafters of the present Constitution, Dhungana said one should not refrain from Constituent Assembly just because it is the demand of the Maoists. “Political parties raised this agenda in 1950,” he said, adding that the role of all the political forces should be clear in the Constituent Assembly.

However, he said that the role of the Army should be first made clear before going for Constituent Assembly, otherwise the people may again need “to fight against the Army as well for democracy.”

Asserting that it was not right to tell the Maoists to give up arms at the moment, he said the rebels in any country gave up arms only after a political settlement.