KATHMANDU // Fighting broke out in Nepal’s parliament on Tuesday, with Maoist lawmakers accused of throwing chairs and injuring four security officers as tensions ran high ahead of a deadline to finalise a new national constitution.
Hours later, police arrested more than 50 protesters who set fire to buses and taxis in an effort to enforce a national strike called by the opposition Maoist party.
The Maoists are seeking to prevent Nepal’s ruling coalition from pushing proposals through parliament without common agreement before Thursday’s deadline.
They say discussions on the constitution should continue until a final agreement is reached – even if that means missing the deadline.
Tuesday’s strike shut down factories, shops, schools and public transport in the Himalayan nation, which has endured prolonged political limbo since 2006, when the Maoists ended their decade-long insurgency.
The usually gridlocked streets of Kathmandu remained clear during morning rush hour as many people heeded the Maoist call to stay home in the capital, where 6,000 police had been deployed.
Despite extensive discussions, Nepal’s lawmakers have failed to agree on a draft constitution and have missed a series of deadlines.
They are widely expected to miss Thursday’s cut-off, further deepening popular disillusionment with the country’s political process.
Disagreements persist on crucial issues, with the opposition calling for new provinces to be created along lines that could favour historically marginalised communities such as the “untouchable” Dalit caste and the Madhesi ethnic minority.
Other parties say such a move would be divisive and a threat to national unity.
With just two days left to draft the constitution, Nepal’s parliament – the Constituent Assembly – met late into the night, but Speaker Subash Nembang was forced to halt the debate after Maoist and Madhesi lawmakers scuffled with ruling party politicians.
Rajan Bhattarai, a lawmaker with the ruling UML party, said two fellow MPs had been struck by flying microphones, and blamed the Maoists for the violence.
“We condemn this behaviour, especially when Maoist leaders Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai frequently assured of consensus via peaceful methods,” he said, referring to the party’s two highest-profile leaders.
Graduate student Shiva Shrestha said the constitution was “beginning to feel like a fairy tale”, reflecting the frustration felt by many Nepalis.
“Who behaves like a bunch of wild animals while trying to complete a constitution?” he said.
The ruling parties and their allies have the two-thirds majority in parliament that they need to pass a new constitution without Maoist support.
But the former rebels have warned of further conflict if the ruling parties fail to take opposition views into account.
Nepal has had two elections and six prime ministers since the civil war between Maoist insurgents and the state ended in 2006.
But its warring political parties have failed to make headway on many disputed issues and conclude the peace process.
The resulting political instability has deterred investment and annual growth has fallen from 6.1 per cent in 2008 to 3.6 per cent in 2013, according to World Bank data.
There are also growing signs of popular unrest. Last week police arrested more than 70 protesters for attacking vehicles or coercing shopkeepers to close their stores during a Maoist-led strike in Kathmandu.
Tuesday’s strike is also backed by a hardline group which split from the main Maoist party in June 2012, accusing its leaders of betraying their radical principles.
* Agence France-Presse