Kathmandu, November 29
Nepali Congress leaders have reiterated that the present government should go ahead with the Constitution amendment process only if Madheshi Morcha supports it.
Otherwise, leaders feel, there will be movements for redrawing of provincial boundaries, which will only compound the crises.
Even within the CPN-Maoist Centre, which leads the government that also includes the NC, this voice is getting stronger by the day.
On its part, Madheshi Morcha says it cannot consent to the whole process before filing of the Constitution amendment proposal in the Parliament. It is preparing to announce a movement.
A minister from the Congress said: The party’s priority is on getting the main opposition CPN-UML on board. If that’s not possible, the Congress will go for the amendment process only if there’s a guarantee of the proposal getting a two-third majority in the Parliament, he said. “Any proposal that will not sail through the House will only compound problems instead of resolving them.”
He said the UML will not come to an agreement anytime soon, so at least Madheshi Morcha should pledge to support the government-sponsored Constitution amendment proposal.
A leader close to Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba said: Madheshi Morcha leaders are saying that they do not accept the proposal.
Tensions will only increase in Province 5 if the government registers a proposal, which will not sail through the House, the leader said.
Most of the leaders taking part in Monday’s meeting of the Congress had stood against redrawing of Province 5. Only party President Deuba and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi, who leads the NC team in the government, had supported the proposal, pointing that this is nothing new.
Congress now is preparing for talks with Morcha. During this exercise, the Congress will Morcha’s commitment to accepting Constitution amendment, a Congress leader said.
