KATHMANDU, Dec 1: The constitution amendment bill registered by the government on Tuesday evening is likely to fall in trouble, with the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) refusing to own the bill.
A meeting of the UDMF, whose demands the amendment bill was supposed to address, decided not to accept it, hinting that it would not vote in favor of the amendment bill in parliament.
According to a press statement issued by the UDMF, the meeting decided to reject the amendment bill in its current form as it fails to address the demands raised by the agitating Madhesi, indigenous nationalities, and other marginalized groups.
Chairman of Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal Upendra Yadav, Chairman of Tarai-Madhes Demoratic Party Mahantha Thakur, Tarai-Madhes Sadbhawana Party Chairman Mahendra Prasad Yadav, Nepal Sadbhawana Party Chairman Anil Jha, Madhesi People's Rights Forum (Republican) Chairman Raj Kishor Yadav, General Secretary of Rastriya Madhesh Samajbadi Party Keshav Jha, and Sadbhawana Party General Secretary Manish Suman were present at the meeting held at TMDP Office.
UDMF rejects new amendment bill
As the main opposition party, CPN-UML, has already announced to foil the amendment bill, terming the proposed provisions anti-national and anti-people, the possibility of the amendment bill getting through the parliament appears slim. Also, various other fringe parties including the CPN-ML, Nepal Workers' Peasants Party, Tharuhat Tarai Party Nepal and Rastriya Janamorcha have also decided to opppose the bill.
Issuing a press statement, Tharuhat Tarai Party, Nepal said it would not back the amendment proposal until Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts are included in Province 2 and Kailali and Kanchanpur are put under Province 4. The press statement issued by the party's chairman Bhanu Ram Tharu has also warned of stringent protests if their demands not met.
