Nepal PM says new Constitution Amendment proposal will be 'acceptable to all'

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that he has prepared a new proposal on the Constitution Amendment, which he claims will be acceptable to all parties, including the agitating Madhesi Morcha and the main opposition.

Addressing a programme yesterday, Dahal said that his proposal would bring all parties together and added that the Morcha, an alliance of seven Madhes-based parties, would participate in the local level elections slated for May 14, reports the Kathmandu Post.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajay Shanker Nayak disclosed the new amendment proposal seeks to revoke Article 295 (1) and insert the provision of forming a Federal Commission in Article 274.

Article 295 (1) of the Constitution says: "The government may constitute a federal commission for making suggestions on matters relating to the boundaries of states." Article 274 is related to the amendment of the Constitution as well as alteration of the state's borders among others.

The Prime Minister's proposal, according to the Law Minister, also seeks to amend Article 86 (2) and "correct the mistakes" in Article 215.

"If everything goes as planned, Sunday's Cabinet meeting will most likely finalise the amendments," said Nayak.

Maoist Centre spokesperson Pamhpa Bhusal said the new amendment proposal will address the demands of the Madhesi Morcha as it tries to incorporate most of the issues raised by them.

"The Cabinet will also take a decision on increasing the number of local units in 11 districts of Province 2 and Province 5," said Bhusal.

In a bid to break the political deadlock, Dahal had earlier on Friday met UML chairman KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The UML has been objecting to the Constitution Amendment Bill tabled in Parliament earlier on January 8, saying it is against national interest as it seeks to split Province 5.

With the new proposal, the government has hinted it will not tweak the federal boundaries and rather seek to amend Article 274 to ease the process of creating new province(s) or changing the boundaries of existing provinces.