Constitution Amendment Should Accelerate Progress: Rekha Sharma

The winter session of the federal parliament is currently underway, with a series of bills being presented and deliberated upon. This session, often referred to as the ‘bill session,’ is being closely monitored due to the urgent need to pass key legislation that will facilitate development initiatives and effectively enforce federalism.

In this context, RSS interviewed CPN (Maoist Centre) lawmaker and former Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma. She emphasized that her party is not opposed to amending the constitution but stressed that any amendment should adopt a progressive approach.

Sharma underscored the importance of lawmakers enhancing their understanding of the bills presented in parliament to ensure meaningful discussions and outcomes. She pointed out that while people expect their representatives to accelerate development projects, the primary role of lawmakers is legislative work. She admitted that political leaders have often made development promises before elections, leading voters to expect their fulfillment post-election.

As a decade has passed since the promulgation of the current constitution, Sharma believes it is time for an amendment. However, she expressed skepticism regarding the sincerity of ruling parties in this matter, noting that timely and adequate discussions have been lacking. She stressed that any constitutional amendments must address the concerns of marginalized communities and safeguard their rights.

“The amendment of the national charter should not be just another political agenda,” Sharma stated. She also criticized political forces for failing to institutionalize the democratic federal republic system despite long struggles and sacrifices. According to her, successive governments have been unsuccessful in maintaining good governance.

Reflecting on her tenure as Information Minister, Sharma highlighted her contributions, including drafting regulations for social networking sites.

Sharma, who has been active in politics since 2043 BS, was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives from Dang-2 in the 2079 general elections. She represents the CPN (Maoist Centre).

(Reported by Hemanta Joshi, RSS)