During the meeting, NC president and Parliamentary Party Leader Sushil Koirala urged lawmakers to view the amendment bill as a way to address the ongoing Madhes protests, while maintaining national unity. "Tabling the bill in the parliament gave a breakthrough to current political deadlock. We should pass the bill from the parliament to resolve the present problems," said NC lawmaker Ram Hari Kahtiwada quoting Koirala.
Likewise, leader Mahesh Acharya urged fellow lawmakers to reach out to the people of their constituencies in Tarai-Madhes. "The tabling of the bill in the parliament is a sign that we have started to come out of a complex political situation. Now, we need not fear that the bill could be withdrawn by the government," said Acharya in the meeting.
Acharya and another key leader, Bimalendra Nidhi, asked the party to remain open to address Madhes' other demands than those already addressed by the bill. "This bill was prepared by the NC-led government and we should own it. In terms of other demands of Madhes movement, we should remain open to address those demands, including provincial delineation, through dialogues. We should also be open for a referendum in some districts to resolve the issue of provincial boundaries," a lawmaker quoted Nidhi.
According to lawmaker Khatiwada, the parliamentary party will meet again on Saturday as many lawmakers sought time to air their views on the bill itself and on the current political crisis. The lawmakers called for a next round of meeting after Koirala informed that he could not stay long at the Thursday's meeting due to his health condition.
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