Kathmandu, September 21

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari's refusal to give her assent to the citizenship bill passed by the Parliament has drawn condemnation from ruling parties, civil society members, and constitutional experts.

Even Vice-president Nand Bahadur Pun issued a press release saying the president did not have the right to violate the constitution. The CPN-UML which had opposed the bill has, however, not commented on the president's decision to use 'pocket veto' against the citizenship bill passed by both Houses of the Parliament.

Four prominent leaders of the ruling coalition partners - Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN (Unified Socialist) Madhav Kumar Nepal, and Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal Chair Upendra Yadav - issued a joint press release calling the president's move an attack on the constitutional provision that states that the president shall abide by and protect the constitution.

Government Spokesperson Minister of Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki read out the ruling coalition's statement to mediapersons after a meeting of the ruling coalition leaders here today.

The ruling coalition concludes that this act of the president insulted and devalued the Parliament elected by the people which not only deprived lakhs of eligible citizens from obtaining their citizenship but also attacked the basic values and norms of the democratic society, such as people's sovereignty, constitutional supremacy, and democratic system incorporated in the constitution framed by the Constituent Assembly, read the press release.

The ruling coalition urged all, including the political parties and the public who support democratic and republican order to remain alert.

Vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun joined hands with other stakeholders who have condemned the president's move, saying that the president cannot go beyond constitutional limits, albeit without naming the president.

Voices are being raised that the key protector of the constitution has not been able to protect the charter and this is sad, Pun added in a press statement.

'Those responsible for abiding by and protecting the constitution do not have the liberty to go beyond the scope of the constitution. I request all sides to abide by and protect the constitution,' the vice-president added.

Former president Ram Baran Yadav said that President Bhandari violated the constitution by refusing to give her assent to the citizenship bill and if stakeholders' efforts to save the constitution did not match the efforts used against the two dissolutions of the House of Representatives by the KP Sharma Oli government, the constitution could be derailed and the country could slide into regression.

Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi condemned president's move in a tweet, saying her refusal was a major political disaster and was an attack on the executive, legislature, and the judiciary.

Her move needs to be rectified as it could create conflict by adversely impacting national unity and social stability, he added.

Meanwhile, the ruling coalition leaders consulted constitutional expert on steps the ruling alliance and its government could take against the president's decision to use 'pocket veto' against the citizenship bill. Yadav urged the public to remain alert against any move against the constitution.

CPN (Unified Socialist) Chair Madhav Kumar Nepal told mediapersons that they were mulling over taking the issue to the Supreme Court but they had not yet reached a conclusion in that regard.

He said bringing an ordinance to resolve the citizenship issue would not be good because that would give a message that the ruling coalition had accepted the president's wrong move to veto the citizenship bill.