NC lawmakers objected to the government's move to not include the constitution amendment bill, along with the Reconstruction Authority bill, for deliberation in the House. The constitution amendment bill was registered in the parliament by the NC-led government.
Immediately after Speaker Onsari Gharti commenced the House meeting, NC lawmakers stood to voice their objection over the exclusion of the amendment bill. “Parliament meeting can not move ahead unless we get the clarification for not including constitution amendment bill in the parliamentary business,” said NC lawmaker Ramesh Lekhak.
Though speaker Gharti assured them of including the bill in the next House meeting, the lawmakers continued to obstruct the proceedings.
However, lawmakers from ruling and some opposition parties pointed out NC's internal dispute as the main cause of the obstruction. “NC's senior leaders Sher Bahadur Deuba, Ram Chandra Paudel, among other senior leaders, had agreed to allow the Reconstruction Authority bill to be tabled; but we wonder why the NC obstructed the House on Thursday,” said Rameshwor Phuyal, a parliamentarian from the ruling UML.
Federal Socialist Forum Nepal (FSFN) chief whip Shivaji Yadav said that constitution amendment bill was not included in the House business because of their demand seeking revisions on the bill itself.
“We had agreed to halt the House obstruction amid our protests keeping in view the urgency of reconstruction work in the country. But it could not be tabled due to the lack of chain command in the NC party,” said Yadav.
NC's Chief Whip Chinkaji Shrestha said that the party had agreed to let the Reconstruction Authority bill be tabled under the condition that it would be tabled along with the constitution amendment bill. “We are also in favor of endorsing the Reconstruction Authority bill at the earliest, but the government seems to pay no attention to another crisis in the country by not forwarding the constitution amendment proposal,” said Shrestha.
The next parliament meeting has been called for 3pm on Friday.
Although Sushil Koirala-led government had registered the Reconstruction Authority bill at the parliament in August replacing the ordinance issued in June to pave the way for setting up the Reconstruction Authority
The bill envisions formation of a National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) with the responsibility to reconstruct homes, schools, health facilities and other infrastructures damaged or destroyed in the April-25 earthquake, and rehabilitate the people displaced by the disaster.
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