MPs from Madhesi parties’ raise issue of statute amendment

Kathmandu, May 6

Lawmakers representing the main opposition Nepali Congress and Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal today continued to criticise the government’s policies and programmes in both the houses — the House of Representatives and the National Assembly — terming the document a ‘traditional’ and ‘vague essay’.

The lawmakers also requested the government to replace the phrase ‘my government’ used by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari while presenting the policies and programmes on Friday with ‘Nepal government’.

Lawmakers of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, however, defended the policies and programmes. NCP General Secretary Bishnu Paudel, HoR Whip Shanta Chaudhary and NA Chief Whip Khim Lal Bhattarai said the document was the best of its kind as it had kept the country’s development at the centre.

The NCP lawmakers also requested the government to add issues related to Kamlaris, bonded labourers, in the document.

Following severe criticism, NCP Co-chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal was scheduled to address the Parliament in defence of the policies and programmes today, but the plan was cancelled in the last hour.

During today’s discussion, NC and RJP-N lawmakers also brought up the issue related to constitution amendment.

They came down heavily on the government’s claim about successful implementation of the constitution.

Point No 7 of policies and programmes reads ‘My government has been successful in bringing the entire country together for successful implementation of the constitution’.

The RJP-N and Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal — now Samajwadi Party Nepal — have long been demanding constitution amendment to make it acceptable to all sections of society, including the Madhesis.

One of the two points of the agreement between the FSF-N and the NCP reached before the FSF-N joined the government says the government would work to amend the constitution on the basis of rationale and necessity.

A total 18 NC lawmakers, including General Secretary Shashank Koirala, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Pradeep Giri and Gagan Thapa criticised the government for its poor performance. “The government must tell us how many people got jobs in the past year and what are its plans for the next year,” said Karki.

While Koirala said the policies and programmes were not reliable, Thapa said the government should revise its motto of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’ into ‘Prosperous Damak, Happy KP Oli’.

Thapa was referring to a list of projects based in PM Oli’s hometown of Damak forwarded to the National Planning Commission for their inclusion in the budget for the next fiscal year.

Thapa also satirically pronounced the Nepal government as ‘the president’s government’ during his speech in reference to the term ‘my government’ used by President Bhandari while presenting the policies and programmes in the Parliament.

RJP-N Presidium members Mahantha Thakur, Mahendra Narayan Yadav and Anil Kumar Jha accused the government of lying to the people by claiming that the constitution was accepted by all.

Thakur asked how could the court send elected lawmaker Resham Chaudhary to jail. “It is discrimination against us,” he said.

In the Upper House, the NC’s Parliamentary Party leader Surendra Pandey, Radheshyam Adhikari and others criticised the policies and programmes saying it only sold dreams.

More than five dozen HoR lawmakers and three dozen NA lawmakers today took part in discussion on policies and programmes.

According to the Parliament Secretariat, both the houses will endorse the policies and programmes tomorrow after PM Oli will furnishes his answers to questions raised by lawmakers.