KATHMANDU, MAR 17 - After a hiatus of one month, the ruling parties are preparing to resume the majority course of constitution drafting in response to the opposition bloc's announcement of the second phase of protests.

Cross-party leaders say the Constituent Assembly meeting will be called providing at least one week for the opposition parties to come to the negotiating table. If there is no consensus within the period, the CA begins its business.

Ruling party leaders describe the opposition move as an act of provocation saying that it had spoiled the environment of trust between the two sides. "After the Maoist and Madhesi parties undermined talks by announcing their protest programme, resumption of the CA procedure is inevitable."

Coalition partners Nepali Congress and CPN-UML on Monday decided to ask CA Chairman Subas Nembang to start the majority process of constitution drafting. The meeting held at UML Chairman KP Oli's residence in Balkot also concluded that the opposition had not been "honest about drafting the new constitution on the basis of consensus".

Earlier, Nembang consulted with the chief whips of the ruling parties about calling the CA meeting. "We requested him to take a decision after consultation with the top leaders," said NC Chief Whip Chin Kaji Shrestha.

If the meeting is called, the CA would begin voting on the already prepared 234 objective questions on eight disputed issues. The Drafting Committee will then prepare a preliminary draft of the new charter.

The UCPN (Maoist) and Madhes-based parties have already announced that they would not be part of the CA unless the majority process is scrapped.

There is still pressure on the ruling parties not to push the majority process so the way forward is not clear. The opposition is also pressed to withdraw its street movement.

Discussions are ongoing between the NC and the UML about resuming the CA process that was halted until further notice one month ago. The opposition bloc has said that it is ready to sit for talks anytime but ruling party leaders argue that the announcement of stir has damaged the environment of talks.

The CA meeting was postponed in order to create the atmosphere for dialogue. Rounds of negotiation between the ruling and opposition parties failed to bring the two sides together on the contentious issues. Earlier, the NC was in favour of buying more time for consensus.

But the declaration of stir by the opposition has forced the largest party to support the line taken by the UML that the CA meeting should be called without further delay to initiate the voting process.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala had urged Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal not to announce new protests so that the CA postponement could continue. NC and UML leaders say now there is moral pressure on Nembang to convene the Assembly after the opposition went ahead with the agitation plan.

The CA chairman on Monday expressed his disappointment at the opposition decision and the breakdown of talks. He rued that the parties did not care to inform him about the progress made in talks.

He said that the political parties should work to forge consensus on the disputed issues and draft the new national charter on the basis of consensus. Nembang had been asking the parties to justify the CA postponement by building accord on the contentious constitutional agendas.