DANG, Dec 7: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the constitution amendment bill registered in parliament would not be withdrawn at any cost as long as he remains the prime minister.
Speaking at a function organized to lay the foundation stone for bridge over the Rapti River in Sisahaniya, Dang on Wednesday, Prime Minister Dahal claimed that the bill was brought to create environment for the implementation of the constitution and would not be withdrawn as long as he remains the prime minister.
However, Dahal opined that changes can be made to the bill to address the grievances of the stakeholders.
Dahal said that changes can be made to the bill through political consensus in line with the the bill in line with the parliamentary procedures.
Oppn demands withdrawal of amendment bill
"The government is not saying that the bill must be endorsed just because it has been registered in parliament. We can make changes to it as per the parliamentary procedures," he added.
Prime Minister Dahal said that the attempt by the opposition parties to force the government into withdrawing the amendment bill through street protests is wrong. "The ongoing street protests will not help anyone, and everyone should understand that the bill will not be withdrawn," said the prime minister.
Prime Minister Dahal also claimed that the idea of amendment was initiated by CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and argued that it is sad to see Oli's party resorting to vandalism to protest the same proposal.
"I'm not the one who initiated this amendment proposal. This was originated by Oliji during the coalition government of Nepali Congress and the UML. It is unfortunate to see him making a big fuss over the same proposal," claimed Dahal.
Prime Minister Dahal argued that the idea of separating hill districts from Province 5 was initiated by the UML and the opposition leaders, in the past, had forwarded such proposal within the Constituent Assembly on several occasions.
"The UML has been calling us traitors over the same proposal. Shouldn't the UML be calling itself a traitor instead?" questioned Dahal.
Dahal also said that the UML will soon realize that the protests are unnecessary and expressed hope that the main opposition will soon come to agreement.
Dahal claimed that the amendment bill is a win-win deal for all including Madhesi and Tharu people.
Tharu MPs warn against taking them for granted
However, lawmakers from the Tharu community expressed dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Dahal over the bill. Speaking at the same function, Tharu lawmakers asked Dahal why Kailali and Kanchanpur, the two districts with dense Tharu population, were not included in Province 5.
"Some of the hill districts have been splitted and included in two provinces but Kailali and Kanchanpur have been left untouched. These are two districts have a large Tharu population. Don't think that the Tharu community will accept whatever you decide," Lawmaker Yogendra Chaudhary told Dahal.
"Kailali and Kanchanpur are vital parts of Tharuwan. How could anyone imagine a Tharuwan without the vital parts?" questioned lawmaker Ganga Chaudhary.
