Govt endorses three-point roadmap

Kathmandu, December 20

The government today said it was committed to move ahead with the process of the Constitution Amendment Bill to ensure proportional inclusion and election constituencies on the basis of population, besides ensuring at least one constituency for each district.

On the question of provincial boundary, a key demand of agitating Madhesi parties, the Cabinet said it was committed to settle the issue through a political mechanism as per the political understanding, said Acting Minister of Information and Communications Som Prasad Pandey.

This was decided in a Cabinet meeting held this evening.

Briefing about today’s Cabinet decisions at Singha Durbar, Minister Pandey said the government decided to incorporate appropriate provisions in the constitution to address the concerns of agitating forces regarding provincial boundaries.

The agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front had demanded two provinces in Madhes as stated in the erstwhile State Restructuring Commission and thematic committee of the first CA.

Pandey said the Cabinet was committed to form a political mechanism mandating it to give its report on the boundary question within three months along with its recommendations. “Approriate solution can be found through dialogue and negotiations on other issues, including the issue of citizenship,” Pandey told mediapersons.

Stating that the government respected people’s right to agitate peacefully and lawfully, Minister Pandey said the government also urged the agitating parties to withdraw their protest programmes as the government was committed to seeking settlement of issues through dialogue and negotiations.

Meanwhile the Cabinet also condemnded the ‘anarchic and arbitrary behaviour’   shown towards President Bidhya Devi Bhandari when she vistied Janaki Temple on December 16.

“Such mistreatment of the president who is a symbol of national unity and patron of the constitution is an attack against the entire country, democracy and republican order,” Minister Pandey said, reading out the Cabinet decision.

He said the government also warned against repitition of such behaviour. The government also decided to take action against the guilty.

The prime minister’s Press Adviser Pramod Dahal said today’s Cabinet endorsed the three-point roadmap that the major parties had shared with the agitating Madhesi force, and added that the decision of the Cabinet would further ease dialogue with them. “With this decision, the government expects that the settlement of the issues raised by the agitating UDMF will be eased” Dahal added.

Deptuy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa briefed the Cabinet about his discussions with ministers and leaders in the UK.