Ever since he was sworn in five weeks ago, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been in Kathmandu only eight days, and he says he's had enough.

"This is my last visit for now," Dahal told reporters on return from New York on Tuesday, "I am back to work to devote myself to the country." Dahal arrived on the day when the CA session went into Dasain recess for 20 days. The assembly has been paralysed by politics. The rostrum is gheraoed every other day by one or other party, and the capital has seen frequent shutdowns by the NC, Jana Morcha over issues that should be debated in the house. Four months after the CA was installed, the legislature is still stuck with politics over the text of the Rules and Procedures.
"We took unanimous decision on other points and we also wanted to have consensus on this final point regarding party's whip for the CA member," committee member Radheshyam Adhikari said. The majority of the members are against obeying the party whip, he said, but added that the draft rules will be finalised by Wednesday.

But Adhikari says at the pace things are moving, he doubts if the constitution will be finished in the 19 months that are left. "There is no national political consensus," he said, "the NC is in the opposition and acting like one even in CA sessions. And we are running out of time."

House sessions have been disrupted over protests over everything from bodyguards of Maoist members carrying weapons inside the assembly to Tarai parties protesting a tax on vehicles traveling through India, to even the concept of federalism.

The parliament secretariat is also working on drafting of plan of action of the CA, which the government should present within 15 days after the regulation is approved in the house. "This delay was due to the delay in electing president and government formation," explained Mukunda Sharma, joint secretary at the secretariat, "But if we follow the timeline we can still complete drafting the new constitution."