Women rights activists demanding citizenship in the name of mother staged a mass protest rally on Wednesday to put pressure on Constituent Assembly (CA) members to follow the democratic process and allow voting on proposals that have been registered for amendments.

The gender provision in the draft constitution makes it mandatory for a Nepali child acquiring citizenship to prove his/her father is a Nepali citizen. Protesters at New Baneshwor specially appealed to female CA members to speak up for the rights of the people they represent and ensure that the ‘and’ provision is actually replaced with ‘or’.  

“We managed to get the topic of citizenship into discussion in the CA by registering 33 amendment proposals. If our agenda is not solved through discussion alone, we require 61 CA members to stand up and ask for it to be decided through voting. But lawmakers’ indifference regarding citizenship provision and the latest undemocratic practices within the CA have got us worried,” said advocate Sapana Pradhan Malla.

According to Malla, that too should not be difficult to achieve should the 177 female CA members speak for the rights of women.

However, women right activists are afraid that female CA members will not be able to go beyond their party instructions.

Whips enforced by two major parties—Nepali Congress and CPN (UML)—directed their lawmakers not to register individual amendment bills.

Addressing the rally, Dr Renu Rajbhandari, president of Women Rehabilitation Centre, urged the women lawmakers to prove that they believe in equality.

 “I urge female CA members who have been silent regarding citizenship, to raise their voices.”