Nepal govt to put Amendment Bill to voting next week

After a long deliberation, Nepal government has advanced with the amendment bill in a move to bring the agitating Madhesi parties on board to take part in the third phase of the local-level polls slated for next month.

Leaders of the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN), a key Madhesi party, on Friday met Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Maoist chief Prachanda and reached an understanding of voting over the stalled amendment bill next week.

"The most important subject of today is the agreement to go ahead with the constitution amendment bill tabled in the parliament. Most probably we will be taking this subject to a conclusion within this month and we do have seen the signs that it will be endorsed by the parliament because the votes in parliament in favor of government stand at 388," RJP Leader Sharat Singh Bhandari said during briefing about the meeting.

"Previously, it was not able to go ahead with because of the internal dispute that was seen inside the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and though the RPP has split into two factions both the groups has made a collective commitment over it. Yesterday (Thursday) only Kamal Thapa disclosed that the reason behind their withdrawal of their support to government was because of its inability to address the demands of the Madhesh based parties," Bhandari added.

As per the agreement between the trios, the amendment bill that the agitating party claims to be lost somewhere in the Parliament will go on for voting on next parliamentary meeting that is called for 15th of August.

The Madhesi leaders also have accepted the amendment bill as a "game" and have agreed to accept the result of the voting over the amendment bill.

"It is a game. After it enters the process, no one is allowed to get away or violate the rules of the game and we have the full confidence that it will be passed through the parliament. If anyone objects towards it and makes and deliberative attempt to fail it, the punishment is to be given by the people and for that we also need to go to the people and we will take it," Bhandari added.

The agitating party also agreed to go for third and the final phase of local polls, which are slated for 18th of September, covering the province no.2, the homeland of Madhesh based Party leaders.

Apart from the commitment in advancing with the amendment bill in the Parliament, the government also has signalized green for granting Martyrdom status to the deceased ones who have spared their lives during the Madhesi movement.