A meeting of the top leaders of the three major parties on Thursday agreed to hold “issue-wise discussion” on constitution amendment. 

According to PM Dahal’s secretariat, the meeting decided to hold discussions at length on the constitutional issues that need to be amended. The top leaders are set to sit for another round of talks on Monday.

Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) Pushpa Kamal Dahal is under pressure to register a constitution amendment proposal in Parliament as per an agreement he signed with the agitating forces in August before he was elected the government head. 

The Sanghiya Gathabandhan, an alliance of agitating Madhesi and Janajati forces, though has given 15 days to PM Dahal in the form of an “ultimatum”, the major parties must come together to finalise the draft of the amendment proposal. 

The meeting between Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli on Thursday followed a meeting between Dahal and Oli on Wednesday. 

The UML so far has maintained a rigid stance on constitution amendment, with some of its leaders, including Chairman Oli, questioning the need to amend the statute. 

The agitating regional parties have been demanding amendment to four major issues—provincial boundaries, citizenship, representation in the Upper House and working language of province. If PM Dahal goes by  the “new deadline” served by the Sanghiya Gathabandhan on Monday, his government has to register the constitution amendment proposal in Parliament by the end of this month.