Province structures should be gradually further strengthened: NC President Deuba

Patan (Lalitpur), Sept 17: Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba said the province structures should be further strengthened in a gradual manner.     

At a talk programme 'A Decade of Implementation of the Constitution and its Challenges', organized by the Nepali Congress Department of Law on the occasion of the Constitution Day today at the party central office, he said there was no option but to enable the province structures by averting shortcomings in the system.     

Highlighting the relevance of proportional inclusion in mainstreaming all castes, he stressed the need to make this system functional and robust. "Some communities have to be given proportional representation. This country belongs to all, so there is a need for this proportional inclusive system to bring all castes into the mainstream of governance system of the State in the form of inclusive principles," Deuba said.     

"The legal provisions to end caste-based untouchability have not been implemented in practice. Although democracy was established long back, several reforms are yet to take place. We have to save the independent judiciary," Deuba said, adding, "Democracy has no alternative and the Constitution cannot be amended to take democracy hostage."     

NC central member Pushpa Bhusal pointed out the need to implement the Constitution which she said was based on federal democratic republic and inclusiveness. "The NC's contribution to adopting inclusiveness and removing discrimination and inequality has not been reached out to the people," she said, adding, "The manifesto could not be implemented as envisaged in the absence of a stable government with a majority."     

She said the NC should go to the people with the slogan of stable government so that it can address the expectations of the youth in the upcoming elections.     

NC central member and law department chief Man Bahadur Nepali stressed the need to translate the dreams, expectations and hopes of the people into reality.     

Senior advocate, constitutional expert Purna Man Shakya lauded the role played by the NC in bringing the rights vested in the king to the people and legitimizing it by framing the Constitution through the people's representatives.     

"Unless the federal and provincial governments are stable, economic and infrastructure development cannot be accelerated by stabilizing the local governments alone. People are not satisfied with the local government alone," Shakya said, adding, "There are some flaws in our governance system. A stable government should also be envisaged at the province level, let's see direct elections there".     

He shed light on the need to amend the Constitution and correct the flaws and move forward.(RSS)