Deal or no deal, major forces set to vote for bill
A majority of ruling parties as well as the main opposition, Nepali Congress, have issued whips to their lawmakers for compulsory participation in the Legislature-Parliament meeting on Saturday, which is scheduled to endorse the First Amendment to the Constitution of Nepal “with or without a deal” with the Madhes-based parties.
A majority of ruling parties as well as the main opposition, Nepali Congress, have issued whips to their lawmakers for compulsory participation in the Legislature-Parliament meeting on Saturday, which is scheduled to endorse the First Amendment to the Constitution of Nepal “with or without a deal” with the Madhes-based parties.
The Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, UCPN (Maoist), Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik (MJF-L), among others, on Wednesday issued whips to their Members of Parliament (MPs) for
their mandatory presence for voting.
A two-thirds majority—394 out of 597 lawmakers—is necessary to endorse the Constitution Amendment Bill which was tabled in Parliament on December 15.
The ruling parties have 336 lawmakers, and combined with NC lawmakers, the number adds up to 443.
A meeting of the major political parties with Speaker Onsari Gharti on Tuesday had decided to hold discussions on the bill for two days, starting Thursday, and put it to vote on Saturday.
“As the Parliament meeting on Saturday is set to endorse the bill, all NC lawmakers have been instructed to participate in the process and vote in favour of the bill,” read a whip issued by NC Chief Whip Chin Kaji Shrestha. Other parties have also issued similar instructions to their lawmakers.
The parties, however, are yet to decide whether to endorse the bill after revision, as they are waiting for a deal with the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha. A revised proposal that incorporates the concerns of the SLMM will be endorsed if there is an agreement with them, according to leaders of major parties. If there is no headway in the negotiations, the bill in its current form will be endorsed, they said.
Hit Raj Pandey, chief whip of the UCPN (Maoist), said the ruling parties, along with the NC, will sift through the amendments registered by lawmakers.
The parties have decided to authorise their taskforce, which comprises NC leader Mahesh Acharya, UML Vice-chair Bhim Rawal and Maoist General Secretary Krishna Bahadur Mahara, to do the job. A total of 103 lawmakers from 10 parties have registered 24 proposals seeking amendments to the bill.
During a meeting of the major parties on Tuesday, the NC had proposed formation of a special committee in Parliament to compile the amendments. But the ruling UML and UCPN (Maoist) turned down the proposal, saying it will further delay the process.
The government wants to endorse the amendment bill as soon as possible, as Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is confident that the Indian side will “lift the unofficial blockade” once the constitution is amended, said an MJF-L leader who was present in the meeting. “Oli is of the view that another amendment can be done after a deal is forged with the Madhesi parties, so the current bill should be endorsed immediately,” he said.
Last-ditch effort to find point of compromise today
Top leaders of the major political parties are set to hold talks with the agitating Samyuktya Loktantirk Madhesi Morcha on Thursday morning in a last-ditch effort to forge a deal before the Constitution Amendment Bill is put to vote on Saturday.
After the Morcha said talks at taskforce level had ended, the contentious issues of the constitution are again back in the lap of top leaders of major parties. The government side has already extended invitation to the top brass of the Morcha for talks.
Laxman Lal Karna, co-chairman of Sadbhawana Party, said that he had received calls from leaders of three major parties for talks. “It is, however, unclear whether the talks will take place on Thursday, as most of the Morcha leaders are outside the Valley,” he said.
Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party Chairman Mahantha Thakur is undergoing treatment in India.
Sadbhawana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato and Tarai Madhesi Sadbhawana Party Chairman Mahendra Raya Yadav are in Tarai districts. Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra, who is currently in Kathmandu, however, told the Post that he had no information about the talks.
The Morcha on Tuesday had demanded that there should be talks at the top level to find a solution to all vexing issues, including demarcation of state boundaries and allocation of constituencies.
Though parties have narrowed down differences on certain issues, the major parties and the Morcha are at odds over two provinces in the Tarai and terms of references of the to-be-formed political mechanism, which will deal with the issues related to redrawing of provincial boundaries and sort them out in three months.
“A meeting of the major parties has decided to exhibit maximum flexibility while holding talks with the Madhes-based parties,” said Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal Chief Whip Dila Nath Giri.
Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice.
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