We have not accepted the constitution and if civic polls are held under this constitution without passing the amendment bill, we’ll not accept the polls

-Manish Kumar Suman, General Secretary of Sadbhawana Party

Kathmandu, December 14

The United Democratic Madhesi Front leaders have threatened to disrupt civic polls if they are conducted without the Parliament passing the constitution amendment bill.

Alarmed by the possibility that the three major parties the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre could postpone the constitution amendment bill and proceed with the plan to hold civic polls, the United Democratic Madhesi Front held an informal meeting and concluded that it would boycott and disrupt civic polls.

Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal Chair Upendra Yadav told THT over phone from Bhairahawa that any attempt to postpone the process on the constitution amendment bill would be a ploy to end federalism and republicanism.

“We’ll not allow the government to hold civic polls if it proceeded with the process without ensuring passage of the constitution amendment bill,” Yadav said. He added that the major parties should also ensure that provinces had the jurisdiction over the local bodies and provinces should have the power to hold municipal elections.

General Secretary of Sadbhawana Party Manish Kumar Suman who participated in today’s informal meeting of the UDMF, added that if the revised constitution amendment bill was not passed in the Parliament and if the government proceeded with the plan to hold civic polls, they would   boycott and disrupt the polls.

Suman said the UDMF leaders did not take a formal decision to this effect today because the government or the ruling parties had not formally decided the fate of the constitution amendment bill. The CPN-UML has been obstructing House proceedings to protest registration of the bill in the Parliament.

The prime minister has been saying that he was committed to holding the local polls irrespective of the Parliament’s decision on the constitution amendment bill.

Suman said the UDMF leaders would soon meet the PM and NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba to convey their concerns. “We have not accepted the constitution and if civic polls are held under this constitution without passing the amendment bill, we’ll not accept the polls,” Suman said.

He added that constitution amendment would give the agitating forces a chance to accept the constitution. He added that the amendment bill had not proposed anything to address UDMF’s other demands such as proportional inclusion, representation by population and constitutional rights of naturalised citizens.

General Secretary of National Madhes Socialist Party Keshav Jha said the UDMF leaders were of the view that the government should move the processes to hold local polls and pass the constitution amendment bill side by side.