Kathmandu, November 26

If everything goes as planned, the government will register a constitution amendment bill in the Parliament tomorrow, said Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi.

Talking to THT, Nidhi said the government will move the bill seeking changes on four issues — provincial boundaries, citizenship, representation in the upper House and language.

On the boundary question, Nidhi said, the bill will propose carving a Tarai province from Nawalparasi to Bardiya.

When asked how the government was going to address the question of the five districts — Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Kailali and Kanchanpur — Nidhi said, “I am not saying five districts, but the government is planning to form, through an executive order, a commission to study and present a report on the issues of boundaries.”

On the Issues of citizenship, Nidhi said the bill will propose that foreign women married to Nepali men will get naturalised citizenship as per the prevailing laws after they initiate the process of renouncing the citizenship of their countries. Asked if the government was proposing change in Article 289 that bars naturalised citizens and citizens by birth from holding some top constitutional posts, the minister said the bill was not planning to change any provision that defined the rights of naturalised citizens.

On the issue of language, official languages can be added if the Language Commission so recommends, said Nidhi.

He also said the government was proposing that there should be at least three minimum representatives in the upper House from all provinces and the rest should be on the basis of population.

Nidhi said the government’s effort to forge consensus on the constitution amendment bill would continue till the last hour. “We are talking to leaders over phone and have been informally meeting them,” he added.

The main opposition CPN-UML, has however, warned of protest against constitution amendment bill both in the Parliament and on the street.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal told CPN-MC leaders at a politburo meeting today that the government had completed the draft of the constitution amendment bill to address four key issues.

According to CPN-MC leader Jaypuri Gharti, the PM said CPN-UML was spreading rumour about the rights of naturalised citizens and the language issue.

Another CPN-MC leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the PM told the meeting that he would seek consensus of the agitating Madhesi parties before registering the constitution amendment bill in the Parliament. “Everybody talks of Madhesi parties’ consent. Even UML leaders told us the constitution amendment bill did not have Madhesi parties’ consent and even our party leaders (who oppose carving out another Tarai province from Nawalparasi to Bardiya) say Madhesi parties have not accepted the bill,” Shrestha said and added it was therefore imperative for the government to seek consent of Madhesi parties on the bill.

Chair of Federal Socialist Forum Nepal Upendra Yadav told THT that Madhesi forces had already rejected the government’s proposal. “If the government wants us to support the bill, it should address the key issues such as revision of provincial boundaries, proportional inclusion, election system, forms of governance, identity and federalism, language and inclusion in the judiciary,” Yadav said, adding that he did not expect the government to address all their demands but at least the key issues.

The United Democratic Madhesi Front will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the constitution amendment bill.