KATHMANDU, Dec 19: At a time when the agitating Madhes-based parties are calling for revision in the constitution amendment proposal registered already in parliament, the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) has rejected the demand.
The largest party in parliament has already conveyed its position to the agitating Madhes-based parties, effectively making the prospect of fulfilling the demand of the revision almost impossible despite support of the bill by the CPN (Maoist Center).
NC Chief Whip Chin Kaji Shrestha said, considering the opinion within and outside the party, NC cannot support the demand of the Madhes-based parties to further revise the amendment bill. "We have incorporated maximum possible things that NC can support in the amendment. We cannot go beyond what has been already mentioned in the constitution amendment bill," he said.
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NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba had apprised the agitating Madhes-based parties of his party's position during a meeting held Saturday. The NC and the CPN (Maoist Center) top leaders had held a meeting with the agitating Madhesi leaders in an attempt to allay the latter's concerns that the government would withdraw or shelve the amendment bill in a bid to lift the weeks-long House obstruction enforced by various opposition parties.
The constituent parties of the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) have sought a revision of the delineation to include Kailali and Kanchanpur districts as well in Province 5, and Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts in Province 2 either immediately through a 'political decision' or through the formation of a federal commission.
Likewise, they have sought revision of the provision related to language so that Hindi is recognized as language of official business in Nepal, and the provision relating to representation in the national assembly. They have, among other things, also sought revision of the amendment bill so that a foreigner woman married to a Nepali national can get citizenship by descent on the basis of the marriage.
Besides proposing to keep only six tarai districts stretching from Nawalparasi in the east to Bardiya in the west, the seven-point amendment bill registered in parliament on November 30 seeks to revise the basis of representation in the upper house or national assembly, with the provision to elect 35 of the total 56 members of the House on the basis of population.
Among other things, the amendment bill proposes granting naturalized citizenship as per the federal law after a foreign woman married to a Nepali national initiates the process to renounce the citizenship of her country of origin. The bill also proposes keeping all languages recommended to be languages of official business by the Language Commission in the annex of the constitution.
While the various opposition parties including the main opposition CPN-UML, have been obstructing the House proceedings and taking to the streets against it, there is also a strong disagreement within the NC over the proposals made in the amendment bill.
A senior NC leader said since the provisions made in the amendment bill in parliament has already fueled dissatisfaction within the party and sparked protests in various mid-western districts, they should be considerate about those things as well. "I don't think we can go to the extent of revising the amendment bill. That is very unlikely at least for now," said the leader, asking not to be named.
