As Parliament prepares to begin theoretical discussion on the Constitution Amendment Bill, the major parties have expedited talks for garnering the support of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) to pass the proposal.

The parties are also gearing up to form a cross-party committee to prepare a draft of consensus. A meeting of the Nepali Congress, UCPN (Maoist) and the SLMM on Saturday evening “ended on a positive note” but without any notable development. The three parties agreed to continue the dialogue on Sunday to prepare a common position on the Amendment Bill.

NC spokesman Dilendra Badu said the SLMM’s concerns over the Amendment Bill could be addressed even as the demarcation row is not settled right now. He said there would be efforts to seek an agreement before the House meeting on Sunday. Of late, the NC seems to have taken a lead in talks with the Madhesi Morcha.

The CPN-UML, which leads the government, was absent from the meeting. A four-party meeting is scheduled for Sunday. Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told the meeting that he would talk to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli about forming a common position on the bill.

After the meeting, Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav said the only achievement of the meeting was to continue talks and pursue a deal. “We will continue our protests on the streets and Parliament until our demands are met,” he said.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of postponing the Parliament meeting until there is an agreement with the Morcha. The NC and the Maoist parties, which reached a tentative agreement, would consult the UML on the agenda.

According to sources, leaders also discussed about forming a cross-party committee to prepare a common position on the demands of the Madhes-based parties, except demarcation. If the UML agrees, a four-party team will thrash out the issues.

Madhes-based parties

have said they will not accept the bill without ensuring population as the basis for constituency delimitation and inclusive representation of the Madhesi people in all state bodies.

Earlier, discussion on the bill was deferred at the NC’s request for time to take the agitating regional parties into confidence. Earlier on Saturday, the NC and the UCPN (M) held discussions on how to address the demands of the Madhes-based parties.

If the two demands are addressed and the three parties offer a concrete proposal to settle demarcation within three months, there could a “ceasefire”, according to the Madhes-based parties. Dahal, who coordinates the High-level Political Committee, began political consultations on Friday.

Three major parties agree that it is not possible to settle the demarcation row right now. NC General Secretary Prakash Man Singh said discussions were going on for making a common position of the three parties on the language of the amendment proposal.