National
Deliberations on amendment bill put off
Lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties on Tuesday defended the Constitution Amendment Bill, claiming that it will ensure the representation of all marginalised communities in the state bodies.Lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties on Tuesday defended the Constitution Amendment Bill, claiming that it will ensure the representation of all marginalised communities in the state bodies. They, however, said that they were ready to change the ‘language’ if the agitating parties were willing to come to consensus.
Participating in the discussion on the amendment bill of the Constitution of Nepal in Parliament on Tuesday, speakers sought support of lawmakers from disgruntled parties to endorse the bill.
Madhes-based parties have been objecting to the government move of tabling the amendment bill in Parliament, saying that “it does not address” their concerns.
Deliberations on the amendment bill began on Monday amid sloganeering from lawmakers from eight Madhes-based parties.
Lawmakers from the Madhes-based parties resorted to sloganeering on Tuesday as well.
Though the major parties have decided to start discussions on the amendment bill, they have agreed to take a “go-slow” approach, to allow time for negotiations with the Madhes-based parties.
Around a dozen lawmakers from different parties aired their views during the theoretical discussion on the second day. Nepali Congress lawmaker Prakash Sharan Mahat said that the amendment proposal “addresses majority of demands raised by the agitating parties”.
“With the endorsement of the amendment bill, all the communities will have their representation in all state bodies, and electoral constituencies will be delineated prioritising population size,” said Mahat. “The amendment is solely aimed at addressing the concerns of Madhesi parties. Therefore, they should extend their support and let the House endorse it.”
Stating that the amendment proposal addresses the concerns of both Madhesis and Janajatis by ensuring proportional representation, CPN-UML lawmaker Sher Bahadur Tamang, however, slammed the Madhes-based parties for demanding demarcation of electoral constituencies based on population. “This demand, if fulfilled, will decrease the representation of Janajatis,” he said. He also urged the major parties to exhibit maximum flexibility to bring Madhesi parties on board before endorsing the amendment. The deliberations have been postponed till Thursday as per an agreement among the parties.
“The process will continue but at a slower pace so that parties can have more time for negotiations,” said Gokul Gharti, whip of the ruling UML. “We are putting our maximum effort to garner ownership of Madhesi parties in the amendment.”