Kathmandu, December 18

Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar has called a meeting of top leaders and chief whips of the three major parties -- the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre -- at 11:00am tomorrow to ensure an end to obstruction of parliamentary proceedings by the main opposition party.

Speaker’s Press Adviser Babin Sharma said the speaker apprehends confrontation between the ruling and the opposition parties if the bill was tabled, as the UML was adamant on obstructing the tabling of the bill.

The ruling parties, including Nepali Congress and CPN Maoist Centre, are firm on tabling the constitution amendment bill at tomorrow’s House meeting.

“We want to table the bill even if the UML continues House obstruction. Does obstructing the legitimate constitution amendment process fall under parliamentary norms?” wondered Nepali Congress Chief Whip Chin Kaji Shrestha.

CPN-UML Chief Whip Bhanubhakta Dhakal, however, said tomorrow’s meeting of the opposition parties’ alliance slated for 9:00am would decide how to retaliate the government’s attempt to table the bill.

“We want the government to withdraw the constitution amendment bill. We’ll allow the House to function only if the bill is withdrawn and fresh attempt is made to forge consensus among the major parties,” Dhakal said.

The speaker had adjourned the House on Thursday until 1:00pm tomorrow so that the parties could forge consensus by then. She adjourned the House after the NC and CPN-MC disputed with the UML over the day’s business schedule at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the Parliament.

The UML did not allow the tabling of the bill in the business schedule as intended by the ruling parties.

The UML has been obstructing the House since the government registered the bill at the Parliament Secretariat on November 29 to address the concerns of the Madhes-based parties. The UML claims that the amendment was not necessary, as people of Province 5 were against splitting the province as proposed in the bill. The UML itself is against splitting Province 5.

The House obstruction has affected many national agendas, including passing of election related bills that are in pipeline in the Parliament and holding of civic, provincial and parliamentary elections by 21 January 2018 as mentioned in the constitution.

The obstruction has also affected discussion on the impeachment motion against Chief Commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Lokman Singh Karki.

The Impeachment Recommendation Committee of the House can begin further process on the motion only after the full House forwards the motion to it after preliminary discussion.