KATHMANDU, Jan 3: Parliamentarian-elect from Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, Resham Chaudhary from Kailali-1's oath taking ceremony has been postponed to 3:00 PM from 11:30 AM as the Dilli Bazaar Prison is yet to receive a letter of Chaudhary's release. Chaudhary will be administered the oath at the Speaker's Secretariat at Singhadurbar, according to Dilli Malla, press advisor to speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara. However, despite the oath, Chaudhary will still be in prison and won't be able to participate in parliamentary meetings.
Chaudhary was the accused main mastermind in the Tikapur incident on August 24, 2015. In the incident, seven security personnel including SSP Laxman Neupane and a two-year-old had lost their lives in a clash between Tharuhat agitators and security personnel. Chaudhary was listed in the most wanted list of Nepal Police. He had presented himself at Kailali District Court on February 27, 2018, refuting the charges leveled against him.
Chaudhary's oath comes 10 days after PM KP Sharma Oli sought a week's time to address Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal's demands. Oli had met with RJP-N leaders at the Prime Minister's Residence on December 25, 2018. Then, RJP-N had threatened to withdraw support from the government if its demands -- constitution amendment and swearing-in of jailed lawmaker Resham Chaudhary and withdrawal of court cases and release of prisoners were not met.
RJPN calls for Chaudhary’s release
RJPN's latest meet had come a day before the winter session of Parliament begun.
Other demands by RJP-N includes:
- Mother tongues of Madhesh are recognized as an official language
- Women who marry Nepali citizens be given citizenship by descent
- Representation in the National Assembly be on the basis of population
- Scrapping provisions to allow local level chiefs and deputy chiefs in National Assembly elections
- Enforce a recommendation of the State Restructuring Commission led by Madan Pariyar
