Skip to main content

SLMM drops a hint that it’ll support bill



  • Constitution amendment
  • A senior TMLP leader maintains ‘something is better than nothing’
  • SSF-N reiterates earlier stance, saying it does not address demands


With the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) blowing hot and cold, the government still seems to be in a sort of fix over the constitution amendment bill it has registered at the Parliament Secretariat.

The government on November 29 registered the amendment bill at the Morcha’s insistence. But the Morcha, an alliance of seven Madhes-based parties, refused to take ownership of it, saying it does not address the concerns raised by the agitating forces. Now some of Morcha’s constituents have hinted at offering “conditional support” to get the bill endorsed in Parliament.

Morcha leaders, who have been pressing the government to revise the bill, are saying they could support it when it is put to vote. They, however, are quick to add that their protest against the bill will continue until all their demands are met. 

“It will be good if the government revises the bill before it is put to vote. But the Morcha is left with little choice even if the government refuses to oblige,” Sanghiya Sadbhawana Party Chairman Anil Jha told the Post.

Morcha’s change of heart comes hot on the heels of a meeting between their top leaders and Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae on Saturday. According to leaders present at the meeting, the Indian envoy had advised the Morcha leaders to accept the amendment bill, as their refusal to take ownership of it would help those who are protesting against it.

The amendment bill, which has been opposed by the main opposition CPN-UML, has sparked protests in Province 5. The UML has decided to intensify protests to press the government to withdraw the bill. The Morcha leadership fears that amid its refusal to take ownership of the bill and UML’s opposition, the government might withdraw it, which could mean they will go back to square one.

“Many leaders in the Morcha believe that we should go soft on the amendment bill. It’s better to keep differences aside and support the government now. We will continue our struggle,” said a top leader of the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party. “Something is better than nothing.” Though some leaders of the constituents of the Morcha have hinted at supporting the bill, it remains unclear whether they will vote in favour.

The Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal, led by Upendra Yadav, has already made its position clear that it is against the bill and that it will not vote. The SSF-N has 15 seats in Parliament. SSF-N Co-chair Rajendra Shrestha said his party will not support the bill unless the government revises it and redraws federal boundaries in line with the recommendation made by the erstwhile state restructuring commission. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s close aides told the Pot that the prime minister has been separately talking to Madhesi leaders.

“Talks with Morcha leaders have been positive. But it’s too early to say whether all the parties in the alliance will vote in favour of the bill,” PM Dahal’s Chief Political Adviser Chandra Prakash Khanal told the Post. He also said that PM Dahal is also reaching out to some UML leaders to end the deadlock, but stopped short of revealing the names of these leaders.

Roshan Sedhai
Published: 07-12-2016

The Kathmandu Post

Comments

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...

Landless quake victims: Why are we deprived of state aid?

Gothelal BK of Nalang village of Dhading district feels helpless as he watches his villagers building houses at war footing. Seeing them, this homeless man does not know how to make one for his family. The government did not provide him the earthquake assistance grant distributed to quake victims because he did not have land registered in his name. “All the villagers will soon move into their new houses. But my family is doomed to live in tents. The government did not provide us the grant that it distributed to villagers. Neither did it provide us land,” BK shared with a feeling of being helpless against what he thinks as ‘state’s injustice’ to people like him.  BK’s family has been living in a hut covered with plastic sheets after the earthquake rendered them homeless in April 2015. Just like other quake victims, he also waited for nearly two years to start building new home. But his hopes were dashed. Every day when he sees his villagers’ houses coming into shape, he feels...

Reduce Poverty: Much Neglected

Dilli Raj Khanal A progressive distributional policy together with the suitable institutional setups and arrangements at the grassroots for ensuring exclusively the access of poor to social and physical infrastructure as well as financial services is also a necessity . As a part of global event, poverty eradication day was celebrated in Nepal recently with claims that Nepal is one of the best performers in this area. If estimated poverty trends are looked into, there are no grounds to refute such an assertion. According to official figures, in 20 year’s period poverty has reduced by more than 20 per cent, from 41.8 per cent in 1995/96 to 21.2 per cent in 2015/16. Compared to the average GDP growth rate of 3.7 per cent in that period, the poverty reduction rate was about 3.2 per cent per annum. The breakdown by different updated poverty estimated periods give an interesting pattern. For instance, the annual poverty reduction rate was sharpest at 3.7 per cent annually during ...