Nepal: Prime Minister Prachanda's government fails to register Constitution amendment bill in Parliament

Nepalese Prime Minister Prachanda's coalition government was unable to keep its promise of registering the Constitution amendment bill in the country’s Parliament on Sunday as uncertainty hovered over the process.

The government was supposed to move the amendment bill in the Parliament so as to accommodate the demands of the agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups that include citizenship and boundary demarcation issues among others.

Also a Cabinet meeting on Sunday failed to discuss the Constitution amendment bill, which was supposed to be registered at the Parliament Secretariat today.

Minister for Information and Communications Surendra Kumar Karki told reporters after the meeting that the issue was not discussed owing to Prime Minister Prachanda's busy schedule.

The government's failure to register the motion comes in the wake of growing opposition of the CPN-UML to amending the Constitution.

Also Read: Nepal govt to table Constitution amendment by Nov 15, says Prime Minister Prachanda

Meanwhile, talking to a delegation of an indigenous group, Prime Minister Prachanda said, final decision regarding the Constitution amendment will be made only after consulting the top leaders of the ruling parties.

Talking to prominent indigenous leader Padmaratna Tuladhar, the Premier said the matter relating to Constitution amendment has reached its final stage.

The representatives of the Indigenous and Ethnic group has demanded that the number of provincial units should be increased to ten instead of current seven state model as per the recommendation made by the committee for state restructuring and power sharing, sources said.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, had led months-long violent protest seeking better representation in the Parliament and the federal structure of the Constitution that divides their ancestral homeland.

Re-demarcation of the provincial boundary and citizenship issue were the two major demands put forth by the agitating Madhesi parties.