Miscellaneous
Coalition partner presses for constitution amendment
The Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal has asked the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and the prime minister to amend the constitution from the ongoing session of Parliament.Tika R Pradhan
The Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal has asked the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and the prime minister to amend the constitution from the ongoing session of Parliament.
The coalition partner handed over an 11-point memorandum to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at his official residence in Baluwatar on Saturday in the presence of NCP Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and party General Secretary Bishnu Poudel.
The party has long struggled from constitutional revision, since well before the charter was promulgated in 2015. The SSF-N’s call follows the government’s decision to allow the murder-accused Resham Chaudhary of the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, another party that waged a movement for statutory reforms, to take the oath as lawmaker on Thursday.
“With necessary homework, the constitution should be amended from the ongoing Parliament session to resolve national issues besides institutionalising the political achievements—federalism, democracy, republican set-up and proportional inclusiveness—and national identity,” states the memorandum handed to the PM.
The fourth largest party in the federal parliament has also demanded that the coalition analyse why the government commanding a two-thirds majority in Parliament failed to deliver even after around one year in office.
The SSF-Nepal also sought a joint task force to resolve the problems facing the country and to help formulate policies and implement them. The party demanded special packages of development for Karnali and Province 2 which are lagging behind in development.
The party urged Oli to create an environment for making the ministries led by the SSF-Nepal more productive, by providing necessary support and through increased coordination among the ministries.
The SSF-Nepal oversees two ministries—Health Ministry led by Deputy PM Upendra Yadav and Urban Development Ministry led by Mohammad Istiyak Rai.
The memorandum signed by party General Secretary Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav urged the government to draft all the bills in ways to strengthen the republican system and to empower provincial governments with necessary resources and authority.
The party has demanded that the government withdraw all the “fake” charges against political leaders and cadres filed in connection with the Madhes and Tharuhat movements. It also presses for formation of various commissions, promoting the principle of inclusive representation.