KATHMANDU: The lawmakers continued deliberation on the 1st Amendment Bill-2072 of Nepal’s Constitution at the Parliament on Tuesday.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat said his party did not support discrimination against any ethnic community, geographical area and people. He appealed for support for the endorsement of the Amendment Bill so as to incorporate the people’s sentiment and give a sense of its ownership to all.

Dr Mahat also appealed to the agitating parties to shun the act of staging sit-in at the transit routes in southern border and to stop obstructing parliamentary sessions, but hold dialogue to discuss the issues of demarcation of provincial borders.

CPN -UML Sher Bahadur Tamang said that his party was for delineating the electoral constituencies on the basis of the demand of the people from Tarai.

UCPN-Maoist lawmaker Nisha Saha called for delineating the constituencies in Tarai hased on demography at the earliest.

Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Democratic’s Yogendra Chaudhary appealed for tabling a constitution amendment bill that will be acceptable to all . He said the Amendment Bill introduced without prior consultation with the Madhesi community was incomplete and that the issue of demarcation was not practical.

Nepali Congress’ Ram Hari Khatiwada argued that the constitution was drafted in line with the sentiment of all communities, indigenous nationalities, classes and religions.

CPN -UML lawmaker Ranju Kumari Jha said no changes had occurred in terms of the question of demography and geography based demarcation of borders, and added that the constitution was flexible and can be amended, so the ongoing agitation was meaningless.

Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party leader Dilli Prasad Kafle said the demarcation carried out on the basis of population will not represent the mountainous and hilly regions and that it would roil the sentiment of unity.

He said the constitution amendment cannot be done under Indian government’s pressure and demanded modification on the bill.

CPN-UML lawmaker Rewati Raman Bhandari, Krishna Pokharel and Rastriya Janamorcha’s Mina Pun also put forth their views.

The lawmakers are continuing to register their opinions on the amendment bill. The next parliamentary meeting will start at 1 pm on Thursday, December 31.