Kathmandu, April 30

Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar adjourned the meeting of the Parliament till Thursday. The House meeting was adjourned after condoling the death of former Nepali Congress lawmaker Nathuni Singh Danuwar.

The Speaker had to adjourn the house mainly due to ruling parties’ failure to muster two-thirds majority in the Parliament required to pass the constitution amendment bill.

The government was expected to try to put the constitution amendment bill to vote today.

The Federal Alliance has threatened not to take part in the local polls scheduled for May 14 and June 14 if a revised constitution amendment bill is not passed by the Parliament.

The main opposition CPN-UML, which has said the bill is against the interest of the nation, has decided to foil the bill. Sources said that the Speaker adjourned the House also because some Nepali Congress lawmakers are out of Kathmandu and 11 lawmakers of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, a partner in the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led coalition government did not attend a meeting of the RPP’s Parliamentary party. Since the absence of some lawmakers of the RPP was interpreted as their attempt to defythe  party’s decision to back the constitution amendment bill, the RPP Parliamentary party later issued a whip to its lawmakers. The absent RPP lawmakers include Ram Kumar  Subba,  Resham Lama, Biraj Bista, Babina Moktan Lawati, Sita Luintel, Geeta Singh, Laxmi Thapa Pashwan, Rajjya Laxmi Sherestha and others.

“The lawmakers are not in agreement with the party leadership’s decision to support the constitution amendment bill because it is against the opinion of majority of party cadres,” an RPP source told THT. The source also said that the whip issued by the RPP parliamentary party cannot compel those lawmakers to be present when the amendment bill is put to vote.  The Speaker, however, ruled out any other reason behind the adjournment of today’s House meeting. “I postponed the House meeting because political leaders demanded some time to prepare for the nomination of candidates for the first phase of local polls” Speaker Magar said.

Minister of law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajay Shankar Nayak told THT that the government needs sometime as it was seeking to forge consensus among political parties including the CPN-UML.

NC lawmaker Ramhari Khatiwada said the ruling parties were confident that the constitution amendment bill would be passed even if the main opposition CPN-UML voted against it. Agitating Madhesi parties, however, have taken the adjournment of the House normally. Talking to THT Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal leader Laxman Lal Karna said that adjournment does not matter much as the government has committed to pass the bill before local polls.