Kathmandu May 27

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today told the House of Representatives that the constitution could be amended on the basis of necessity and rationale.

The PM said this in response to questions posed by lawmakers during the debate in the House on the government’s policies and programmes. Some lawmakers representing the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal and the Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal had raised question about the government’s policies and programmes being silent on the issue of constitution amendment.

“We will amend the constitution as per the consensus forged between us on constitutional issues” PM Oli said.

“The constitution will be amended keeping in mind the people’s aspiration and the country’s interest,” he said and added that the amendment should aid the goals of prosperity. The government is always ready to resolve the problem.

He said the Parliament was enacting laws to implement the constitution and the government was drafting bills as per the constitutional mandate.

PM Oli claimed that the government’s policies and programmes were democratic, patriotic, far sighted and forward-looking.

“Policies and programmes are for achieving the goals of development, prosperity and good governance. We do not need to fight over them.” PM Oli said.

He said the government was trying to attract foreign investment to spur the process of development.

He said the government had adequate means and resources to deal with natural disasters, landslide and flood.

PM Oli urged lawmakers to pass Parliament Business Rules so that the Parliamentary Hearing Committee could be formed soon.

PM Oli said that the government was able to ease air traffic after TIA started 21 hours service every day. He also said that India would add some more air entry points to facilitate air travel.

The PM further said that the government was committed to complete the Raxual-Kathmandu railway within five years and monorail in Kathmandu within three years.

PM Oli also said that ministers would use their laptops during the Cabinet meeting from now onwards.

The House today passed the government’s policies and programmes after PM Oli responded to lawmakers’ queries on the document. It was the first time since 1991 that the opposition did not cast their vote against the government’s policies and programmes.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari, had on May 21, presented the government policies and programmes.

A total of 82 lawmakers had taken part in the debate and six proposals registered in the House sought amendment to the policies and programmes. Only some of the proposals were presented for endorsement, but they were rejected by majority members of the Parliament and some proposal movers, including those from Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal, withdrew their proposals.