PM seeks advice from Madhesi parties, trilateral meeting Tuesday

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has sought advice from three major Madhesi parties on concluding the proposed amendment to the Constitution, the PM's Secretariat said.

In a meeting with the three leaders of United Democratic Madhesi Front constituents-- Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal, Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party and Sadbhawana Party -- at the PM's official residence in Baluwatar on Monday evening, Dahal expressed his commitment to the Constitution amendment proposal but stressed on the importance of local level elections.

Mahantha Thakur of Tarai Madhes Democratic Party, Rajendra Mahato of Sadbhawana Party and Rajendra Shrestha of Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal had represented their respective parties in the meeting.

The PM's Secretariat said the "informal meeting" dwelt on issues related to local level restructuring, Constitution amendment proposal and Madhesi parties role in it and elections in the local level.

Prime Minister Dahal drew the leaders' attention towards "threat of revocation of federalism if the Constitution was not implemented along with the elections in local level" while seeking their advice to lead the Constitution amendment proposal to a conclusion, according to the PM's Secretariat.

On the occasion, the UDMF leaders inquired about the Constitution amendment process and the report submitted by Local Body Reconstruction Commission.

After the meeting, FSF-Nepal co-chair Rajendra Shrestha said the visiting leaders told the Prime Minister that the UDMF was ready for elections if the process of Constitution amendment went forward, according to the Rastriya Samachar Samiti.

Trilateral meeting

Meanwhile, the leaders agreed to hold a trilateral meeting of the UDMF, which has been protesting the announcement of local elections  prior to Constitution amendment, and the ruling Nepali Congress and CPN Maoist Centre has been scheduled for tomorrow.

The government had brought in a bill for the second amendment to the Constitution on November 29, 2016, in order to address the demands of UDMF that protested the provisions in Constitution concerning provincial boundaries, citizenhip and recognition of official language.

The Parliament formally began the deliberations on the bill on February 23, three months after its registration.

The main opposition CPN-UML has been vocally criticising the proposal to amend the Constitution, while the UDMF parties want its passage before conducting the local elections on May 14.

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