Lawmakers of Province 2 who were elected under the Proportional Representation (PR) have warned that they would obstruct the Provincial Assembly in light of the discrimination they have faced in budget allocation.

Stating that the provincial government did not prioritise them while allocating budget in this fiscal, lawmakers said they will halt all provincial assembly meetings until the government revises its decision. They have demanded that the government provide equal status on par with their colleagues who were elected through the direct (FPTP) electoral process.

Rina Yadav, a lawmaker from the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, said that they will start staging protests in the coming two days if the government does not revise the budget allocation.

“The lawmakers elected through proportional representation will be compelled to stage demonstrations, as the government has been unfair to them in the allocation of budget,” she said.

Lawmakers elected through the PR have only received Rs 2 million, whereas Rs 10 million has been deposited in the Constituency Area Development Fund. The agitated lawmakers said that they had expected to be treated equally. According to them, the government has been treating them as second-grade lawmakers.

“Where are our seats in the Provincial Assembly? The government should clarify that,” said Yadav, adding that they will not accept any form of discrimination in the assembly.

Jagat Yadav, a lawmaker of the Nepal Communist Party, said the assembly has been disrespectful towards lawmakers elected through the PR.

“We will stage demonstrations if the government does not allocate budget for PR lawmakers on par with our colleagues. The government made a unilateral decision by not including us in the Constituency Area,” he said.

Sarswoti Chaudhary, a lawmaker from the Nepali Congress, said that they will picket the rostrum during the meetings until the government puts an end to the discrimination.