Skip to main content

UML pours cold water on consensus efforts

By: Tika R Pradhan

A bid to find consensus on a constitution amendment proposal failed on Monday after the CPN-UML appeared dead set against it.
After Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called for consensus on amendment to four issues of the constitution and explained how the provincial boundary row could be addressed, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli urged Dahal not to register the proposal, saying “it is anti-national”, according to a leader who was present in the three-party meeting.
Oli is also learnt to have told the ruling coalition that the UML would “do what the main opposition is supposed to do” if the government “forcibly registers the amendment proposal”, according to the leader, who said the main opposition presented itself aggressively at the meeting.
With the main opposition, which on Sunday made its stance clear that it would reject the constitution amendment proposal, refusing to budge from its position on Monday as well, the governing parties—CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Nepali Congress (NC)—are now mulling over registering the amendment proposal without the support of the UML.
The merger between Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and RPP-Nepal on Monday may also have made the ruling coalition believe that the amendment proposal could be endorsed without the support of the UML, the second largest party in Parliament.
After UML leaders left the meeting, coalition partners decided to hold talks with the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM), a coalition of seven Madhes-based parties, about constitution amendment.
“The UML is not ready to amend the constitution. So the government will hold discussions with the Madhesi forces and move ahead accordingly,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi said after the meeting.
But nonetheless, the Morcha also has its fair share of reservations about the proposal on which the government has been working. It has warned that it will disown the proposal if it fails to address all of its concerns.
Leaders of the ruling coalition said the Maoist Centre and the NC would discuss the next move after holding talks with Morcha leaders. Maoist and NC leaders are of the view that there is no point in registering the proposal if the Morcha refuses to take ownership.
During the three-party meeting, PM Dahal had presented the plan to resolve the row over provincial boundaries. Proposing Nawalparasi to Bardiya as Province 5, PM Dahal had suggested that seven hilly districts from Province 5 could be adjusted in other provinces—something which was jointly floated by the NC and the UML earlier in the Constituent Assembly. But the UML refused to budge.
Oli is also learnt to have told PM Dahal that the latter was leading the country towards confrontation.
“The UML backtracked from its earlier position. Hence, the consensus bid failed,” said Maoist leader Barshaman Pun. “The government will now hold discussions with the Madhes-based parties to decide the next move.” According to UML Vice Chairman Bhim Rawal, the main opposition during Monday’s meeting made it clear that “there is no point in registering the amendment proposal as the Morcha itself is not ready for it”.

Published: 22-11-2016
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-11-22/uml-pours-cold-water-on-consensus-efforts.html 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

India Government raises grant for Nepal by 17 percent

India Government raises grant for Nepal by 17 percent The Indian government has pledged to extend 17 percent more in financial aid to Nepal in the next fiscal year, indicating greater enthusiasm of the southern neighbour to support the landlocked country’s development endeavours. The Indian government has allocated a grant of IRs3.75 billion (Rs6 billion) for Nepal in 2017-18, as against IRs3.20 in 2016-17. The allocation was made through the Union Budget 2017-18 launched by Indian Finance Minister Arjun Jaitely on Wednesday.  In addition to the amount, India has also pledged to extend a grant of IRs113.30 million to Nepal Police Academy in 2017-18, the Indian budget document says. The grant pledged for Nepal in 2017-18 is second highest among South Asian countries, with Bhutan leading the pack. The Indian government has expressed commitment to extend IRs37.14 billion in grant to Bhutan in 2017-18. The amount, however, is 4 percent lower than in 2016-17. In total, Ind...
Post a Comment
Read more

UML trying to create rift between hills and Tarai: Deuba

Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has accused the main Opposition, the CPN-UML, of trying to create rift between the hill and Madhes communities. “The government has registered a constitution amendment bill in parliament to establish peace in Tarai-Madhes. But the UML has been obstructing the House in protest of the bill. The UML is thus trying to create a rift between the hills and the Tarai,” said Deuba. Speaking at a national gathering of Treasurers of NC in the capital on Friday, Deuba said that by obstructing the House, the UML was expressing its anger for having to quit government. “Parties form and leave government in a democracy. It is a normal process. It is not appropriate to hold the House a hostage just because you (UML) have to leave the government,” he said. Deuba also claimed that UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli had already given his nod to the kind of constitution amendment bill registered by the government. “But now he is obstructing the b...
Post a Comment
Read more

UML tells neighbors not to interfere in Nepal's internal affairs

  Main opposition CPN-UML has asked the neighboring countries and the international community to refrain from expressing gratuitous concerns over Nepal's internal affairs, taking sides and intervening into domestic issues. The second-largest party has also claimed that Nepal's political parties and the people are capable enough to handle internal issues and that Nepal is well able to steer the country in the direction of progress. “We expect goodwill of friends from across the world in favor of Nepal. But, we appeal to the neighboring countries and the international community to refrain from expressing gratuitous concerns over Nepal's internal affairs, taking sides, and intervening into domestic issues and any other such activities,” read a statement issued by party spokesman Yogesh Bhattarai after a standing committee meeting of the party on Monday. The main opposition UML, which has been leading protests in various districts and obstructing parliament procee...
Post a Comment
Read more