Constitution amendment on national consensus: Coordinator Shah

Coordinator of the taskforce formed to prepare a concept paper on amendment of constitution Ashim Shah has urged everyone not to be swayed after the rumour that the constitution would be amended unilaterally. 

The government does not act one-sidedly but takes onboard diverse suggestions for amending the constitution, Shah made it clear. 

He said it during a consultation with legal experts and constitutionalists held at the Prime Minister's Office, Singh Durbar on Monday. 

Broader discussions will be held with all stakeholders including political parties to forward this significant task.

The taskforce was mandated to prepare a concept paper on amendment to the constitution in line with the 100-point action plan of the government. "Constitution amendment is a multi-stakeholder concern, so national consensus will be reached for it," he reiterated. 

Shah reminded that the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) had prioritized this issue in its commitment paper. Comprehensive discussions would be held with subject experts and their views included in the paper.

Taskforce member secretary Liladhar Subedi made a presentation on major issues identified for amendment.

Constitutionalists and senior advocates including Dr Bipin Adhikari, Purna Man Shakya, Radheshyam Adhikari,Govind Sharma 'Bandi', Shambhu Thapa, Mira Dhungana and Tikaram Bhattarai gave suggestions during the meeting held on Monday.