Nepal dy PM seeks referendum on Govt

With less than five months remaining for Nepal to formulate its new constitution, Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala sparked a fresh debate on Saturday by seeking a referendum on whether the country should adopt a federal or unitary type of governance, reports Utpal Parashar.

Updated on: Jan 2, 2010, 23:19:38 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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With less than five months remaining for Nepal to formulate its new constitution, Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala sparked a fresh debate on Saturday by seeking a referendum on whether the country should adopt a federal or unitary type of governance.

Departing from a centralised unitary state model, Nepal’s interim constitution has in principle agreed to covert the country into a federal state.

Most political parties, including Koirala’s Nepali Congress, had supported the move.

The new constitution has to be framed before May 28.

Koirala’s statement comes at a time when Nepal is in the process of restructuring the type of governance through the new constitution and follows the Maoists’ move of declaring 13 autonomous states based on ethnicity and region.

“We want to have a perfect model while restructuring the country and there should be a referendum done to find out what the masses want Nepal to be,” said Koirala, who is also the country’s foreign minister.

The senior Nepali Congress leader and daughter of former Prime Minister G.P. Koirala added that unlike the Maoist model of 13 states, it would be in Nepal’s best interest to have only 3-5 development zones.

Nepal is currently divided into 14 administrative zones, which are further divided into 75 districts. The zones are grouped into five development regions —Eastern, Central, Western, Mid-Western and Far-Western.

“We are a small country and there should be only 3-5 development zones. It is surprising that a responsible party like Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has declared 13 autonomous states. It could pave way for further fragmentation of the country,” she said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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