KATHMANDU: Leaders of Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities on Sunday registered a 53-point differing view at the Constituent Assembly Secretariat, along with signatures of CA members representing different parties, including the ruling Nepali Congress and CPN-UML.

NEFIN Chairman Nagendra Kumal and General Secretary Pemba Bhote took the initiative to register differing views regarding the rights of indigenous nationalities of the country.

Kumal was nominated by Nepali Congress, while Pemba Bhote represents CPN-UML.

Kumal said the indigenous CA members would also hand over their views to CA Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang soon.

The umbrella organisation of all indigenous nationalities of the country, NEFIN, handed over a memorandum to all the top leaders of major parties demanding that they draft a new constitution that would include all the past agreements made with indigenous people.

Kumal added that several indigenous CA members of different parties had signed the differing views representing their communities.

He said indigenous CA members had also decided to raise the issues included in their differing views during the ongoing deliberations on the draft constitution.

NEFIN leaders want the one-horned rhino to be made the national animal instead of the cow; inclusion of ‘secular’ in the Preamble and inclusion of the word ‘federal’ in the preliminary part of the constitution.

Kumal said the differing views registered on Sunday were inspired by the ILO Convention-169, which Nepal has already ratified.

The indigenous CA members have urged the CA to include the words ‘proportionately inclusive’ for all appointments, which they claim were deleted later.

However, NC spokesman Dilendra Badu said the differing views of indigenous CA members should be dealt with by the individual parties and then top leaders should dwell on ways to include them in the new constitution.

NEFIN General Secretary Pemba Gurung Bhote said they were forced to register differing views as the new constitution was going to be no different than the 1990 constitution. He said the indigenous CA members were forced to keep mum by their leadership and now they have thanked NEFIN for its initiative.