Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal appears set to register a constitution amendment proposal in Parliament within a few days amid pressure from the Madhes-based parties.

But a key difference has surfaced.

PM Dahal is for tabling a proposal which could be passed with a two-thirds majority in Parliament with the support from the main opposition CPN-UML. In that case, the agitating forces’ all demands may not be addressed.

But leaders of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) say the amendment proposal “must address” all their demands, even if that means the proposal fails in Parliament.

PM Dahal’s close aides said the government is preparing to table the proposal by taking all sides, including the UML, on board in order to get it endorsed in Parliament.

“Some of Morcha’s demands cannot be addressed now.  The government is working to table the proposal with the consent of everyone including the UML,” PM Dahal had said last week while addressing a gathering.

Madhesi leaders have a different reading of PM Dahal’s plan.

They claim that the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Nepali Congress are using “the consensual proposal” as an excuse to avoid the thorny issues of the constitution, including revision of federal boundaries, one of the key demands of the Madhes-based parties.

“There are rumours that the government has drafted a four-point proposal to address the Madhes crisis. If it’s true, we cannot accept it. It cannot address the problems,” Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav told reporters on Saturday.

Yadav, who last week served a 15-day ultimatum to the government to table the constitution amendment proposal, said that the bill should address “all concerns of the agitating parties even if it fails to garner the required support for endorsement” in Parliament.

Madhesi leaders say “a complete proposal”, even if it fails to garner a two-thirds majority, will serve their larger interest. They are refusing to accept a “half-baked proposal”.

A senior leader of the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party told the Post that it would be a strategic win if the Morcha, which controls 39 seats in Parliament, could garner support of 300 plus parliamentarians on contentious issues like two provinces along the plains.

“We can endorse the proposal later because it would be hard for the NC and Maoists to backtrack later,” said the leader. 

Madhesi leaders are increasingly frustrated with PM Dahal for paying less attention to concerns of the agitating parties than the UML when the constitution was being drafted. They suspect that the government is planning to table the proposal in Parliament without taking them into confidence.

“We have repeatedly warned the prime minister and other Cabinet ministers against tabling the proposal without our consent. We are free to refuse the proposal if our concerns are not addressed,” said Sadbhawana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato.

An agreement between the Maoist Centre, the NC and Madhes-based parties on August 3, the day Dahal was elected the prime minister, calls for addressing the concerns raised by the agitating forces. The regional parties have warned of withdrawing support to the government if PM Dahal “fails to address their concerns”.

Close aides of PM Dahal said that the proposal would address issues related to federal boundaries, citizenship, working language of provinces and representation in the Upper House.

PM Dahal also appears willing to make some changes to the provision pertaining to citizenship so as to make it easier for foreign women married to Nepali men to acquire citizenship.

“But the contents of the draft would be finalised in consultation with UML and other parties,” said a source.

Interlocutors from the Madhesi parties said PM Dahal had informally proposed formation of another province in the western Tarai stretching from Nawalparasi to Bardiya, while offering to end the dispute over five Tarai districts in the East and West through a commission.

The idea of creating a new province entails splitting Province 5 and combining seven districts from it to form eighth province.

UML leaders have already expressed reservations about this idea, saying there is not need to create an eight province. Some Maoist leaders also have warned PM Dahal against the move.