Valley
Won’t support proposal as it is, says RPP
Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the fourth largest force in Parliament, has reiterated that it will not support the constitution amendment bill in its present form.Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the fourth largest force in Parliament, has reiterated that it will not support the constitution amendment bill in its present form.
RPP Chairman Kamal Thapa said at a programme on Friday that his party would not support the bill if it was tabled in Parliament for voting as it was registered without consulting with his party and that it has several provisions against “national interests”.
Thapa’s announcement comes at a time when both the ruling and opposition parties are making efforts to woo his party which has 37 MPs. The RPP has become a game changer with its decisive role either in the rejection or approval of the amendment bill.
Thapa, however, said the obstruction of House by nine opposition parties was undemocratic, urging the parties to allow Parliament to take decisions. The rightist party has reservations over amendments to the provisions on citizenship and language of the constitution. The Executive Committee of the party had decided two weeks ago not to support the amendments without revision.
If the amendment bill is put to a vote, a two-thirds majority is required to pass it. The governing parties are making efforts to muster the required 396 votes in the 594-strong Parliament. Currently, the opposition bloc has 201 seats while the ruling alliance commands 354 votes including those from the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik and the CPN (Samyukta). These parties voted for Pushpa Kamal Dahal in the prime ministerial election in August last year.