Kathmandu, December 7

Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar will hold talks with chiefs of the three major parties the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist separately on Thursday and Friday in an attempt to end obstruction of proceedings at the Parliament.

The Speaker’s Press Adviser Babin Sharma told THT that she would meet NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and UML Chair KP Sharma Oli tomorrow and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also the CPN-MC chair, on Friday morning.

Sharma said the speaker would urge the parties to find ways to end the obstruction of House functioning. Sharma said the speaker did not list the constitution amendment bill in today’s House business, as she wanted to try her best to help forge consensus among the three major parties on the bill.

CPN-UML and three other communist parties the CPN-ML, Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party and Rastriya Janamorcha have been obstructing parliamentary proceedings since the government registered the amendment bill.

Although the House has some pressing issues to settle, there are no signs that the parties will reach compromise soon. President Bidhya Devi Bhandari had on Sunday called an all-party meeting and urged political leaders to find solutions to political problems through dialogue.

Leaders associated with the major forces, however, have not sat together to discuss House obstruction since then.

CPN-UML Chief Whip Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal said if the government chose to withdraw the bill that could be a meeting point between the ruling and opposition forces.

Dhakal said his party decided to protest the bill, as it was registered in violation of Article 274 of the constitution, which stipulates that revision of boundaries could be done only after the consent of the concerned provincial assembly.

Dhakal said the government’s executive decision to form a federal commission and its terms of reference had questioned the validity of the constitution and his party could not accept such ToR.

Dhakal said Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s decision not to back the bill and Nepal Parivar Dal’s decision to withdraw support to the government made it clear that the bill would not be passed in the Parliament.

“Now it is up to the government to choose a confrontational path or withdraw the bill,” he added. The PM said in Dang today that he would not withdraw the bill as long as he was the PM.

CPN-MC leader Agni Prasad Sapkota said the government would not withdraw the bill because if it did so the Madhesi forces would resort to agitation and the situation would worsen.

Sapkota said the government was ready to hold local polls whether the Parliament passed the bill or not and the UML should be ready for this option. “The UML which preached to other parties to seek resolution of all problems through the Parliament is intensifying street protest and stalling House proceedings. Why does it not do what it preaches?” Sapkota wondered.

He said opposition parties should allow debate on the constitution amendment bill and if they had any issues, they should try to address them through amendment proposal on the bill.

Sapkota said the House needed urgent action on poll-related bills and impeachment motion filed against the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority chief Lok Man Singh Karki but it had not been able to do so due to obstruction caused by the UML and other opposition parties.

House adjourned till tomorrow

KATHMANDU: The CPN-UML and three other communist parties continued to obstruct House proceedings, protesting against the registration of the constitution amendment bill.

As soon as the House proceedings began on Wednesday, lawmakers associated with the CPN-UML, CPN-ML, Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party and Rastriya Janamorcha stood up to protest the registration of the bill.

Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar then gave time to Rastriya Janamorcha lawmaker Chitra Bahadur KC to speak. KC told the House that the amendment bill was against the interests of the nation and the government should withdraw it.

He said the protesting parties would continue obstructing House proceedings unless the government withdrew the bill. KC added that federalism was against the interest of the country.

After KC finished speaking, the lawmakers associated with the protesting parties again rose from their chairs to protest the bill, following which the speaker adjourned the House till 3:00pm on Friday.