Parties divided over Province 2 name

Published On: August 23, 2019 07:01 AM NPT By: Suresh Yadav

-- SPN and RJPN propose Madhesh, NCP for Janaki, NC says Mithila-Bhojpura
-- All parties for Janakpur as capital, some dissident lawmakers root for Birgunj

JANAKPUR, Aug 23: Political parties in Province 2 are divided over naming the province as they registered different proposals at the provincial assembly secretariat to name the province on Thursday, the last day to register such proposals.

Also, intra-party divisions are seen over the matter as some lawmakers from the Nepali Congress and Madhes-based ruling parties registered different names at the secretariat.

NC lawmakers proposed different names and towns as provincial capital. Also, lawmakers from the ruling Samajbadi Party Nepal (SPN) and Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) were divided over the issue. There are four political parties represented in the assembly—The SPN, RJPN, NC and Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

The ruling SPN and RJPN jointly registered a proposal to name it as Madhes Pradesh; the NCP proposed naming it as Janaki while the NC is for naming it as Mithila-Bhojpura. A separate group of NC lawmakers including Om Prakash Sharma, Shankar Prasad Chaudhary and Ashiyadevi Tharuni have proposed that it be named Madhya-Madhesh.

On the issue of the permanent capital of the province, three official proposals on behalf of the political parties and two other proposals by dissident lawmakers have been registered at the provincial assembly secretariat.

Though all the four political parties have proposed Janakpur as the province's capital, they have differed in the areas and centers of the capital.

However, NC lawmakers Shankar Prasad Chaudhari, Om Prakash Sharma, Ashiyadevi Tharuni and Rajeshwar Prasad Sah have proposed naming Birgunj as the capital.

A group of lawmakers from the ruling SPN and RJPN have registered a separate proposal different from their respective political parties on the issue of finalizing the permanent capital. Different from their respective parties' proposals, they are for Birgunj as the capital.

“Now the provincial assembly will finalize the name and capital of the province through its due procedures in accordance with the regulations,” said Speaker of the assembly Saroj Kumar Yadav.