Seven days set for amendment proposals

Kathmandu, August 30

Constituent Assembly today concluded discussion on the final draft of the new constitution, allotting seven days for receiving amendment proposals on the “Revised Bill” of the new statute.

CA Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang today asked the CA members to register their amendment proposals till September 5 without cutting short the duration provisioned in the CA Rules for the same.

After receiving amendment proposals, the CA will hold clause-wise discussion on the bill along with amendment proposals and endorse the bill through voting. The CA members will then sign the bill and the CA chair will authenticate it before President Ram Baran Yadav announces the commencement of the new constitution. “All the remaining procedures can be accomplished by September 17,” Nembang told THT.

Replying to the concerns raised by the CA members during five-day discussion, Chairman of Constitution Drafting Committee Krishna Prasad Sitaula said, “Since the draft constitution has ensured republican system and seven-province model with demarcation of boundaries, the parties represented in the CA who wanted federal model with boundaries should join the remaining process.” More than 400 members of the 601-member CA took part in the discussion, he added.

NC senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba said protected and autonomous zone with cultural and political rights could be provisioned for the Tharus. He said the number of provinces and their boundaries could be changed in future. He, however, was against splitting Rukum and Baglung districts.

CPN-UML Vice-chairman Bamdev Gautam said there was no alternative but to accept the seven-province model for now.

NC leader Bimalendra Nidhi said he was glad the CA was approaching the golden moment in Nepal’s history to ensure nationalism, democracy, socialism, non-violence, peace, inclusiveness, republican set-up, federalism and mixed-election system.

Nidhi proposed to form a high-level talks team from the CA itself to negotiate with agitating forces. Ensuring easy and immediate access to citizenship on the basis of marriage and citizenship by decent to the children of parent(s) holding naturalised citizenship and citizenship by birth is imperative, he said. He called for adopting a system of vertical and horizontal power-sharing between centre and provinces. Nidhi said the election constituencies should be determined on the basis of population.

Unified CPN-Maoist member Top Bahadur Rayamajhi asked pro-constitution forces to be wary of ultra-rightist forces who were working to foil the constitution-drafting process.