Janakpurdham, Sept 19

Province 2 Chief Minister Lalbabu Raut, who is also chairman of the Constitution Day Celebration Main Organising Committee, remained absent from the programme organised

to observe the day on the first day today in Janakpurdham.

At the sanitation programme organised in Janakpurdham, chief minister, ministers and state ministers stayed away from the function.

A meeting of Province 2 government held on September 3 had formed the Constitution Day Celebration Main Organising Committee led by the chief minister. The banner showed Province 2 government was the organiser of the programme, but none was present from the province government.

The sanitation programme was launched from Zero Mile to Bus Park and pamphlets against dengue were distributed in Janakpurdham. Despite the fact that the province government had formed the main organising committee, the CM and other ministers abstained from taking part in the programme as Samajbadi Party-Nepal decided to stay silent.

Samajbadi Party Province 2 Chair Bijay Yadav said his party did not have any function to mark Constitution Day. “We are neither supporting nor protesting the Constitution Day,” said Yadav, who is also minister of financial affair and planning.

Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, however, decided to observe Constitution Day as black day.

A meeting of the RJP-N Presidium had decided to mark Constitution Day as black day. So, ministers from the party abstained from the programme held to observe the day.

The CDO, and chiefs of security forces were also absent on the first of the two-day Constitution day celebration today. The excitement was not seen at the local levels nor among people’s representatives.