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Stung by EC, RPP registers constitution amendment proposal
Shaken by the Election Commission’s decision to remove some provisions of its statute, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party registered a constitution amendment proposal at the Parliament Secretariat on Sunday.Shaken by the Election Commission’s decision to remove some provisions of its statute, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party registered a constitution amendment proposal at the Parliament Secretariat on Sunday.
According to Mohan Shrestha, the joint spokesperson for the RPP, six lawmakers of the governing party proposed “Hindu state with complete religious freedom” instead of “secularism”, seeking to alter the provision of Article 4 (1) of the constitution.
Organising a press conference on Saturday, party Chairman Kamal Thapa had warned that the RPP would take to the streets by quitting the government if the EC failed to withdraw its decision to remove “constitutional monarchy” and “Hindu state” from the statute.
Those signing the proposal are lawmakers Kunti Kumari Shahi, Jayanta Chand, Bikram Bahadur Thapa, Sushil Kumar Shrestha, Bhaskar Bhadra and Bhakta Bahadur BK Khapangi.
The proposal would only be forwarded after Speaker Onasari Gharti approves it.
The EC struck the components of the party statute down on Friday, arguing that they called for reviving Nepal as a Hindu state and that “a democracy with space for monarchy” contravened the constitutional provisions of secularism and republican order.
An “emergency meeting” of the party’s central committee on Saturday decided to register the amendment proposal at the Parliament Secretariat, besides protesting against the EC’s move.
A constitution amendment proposal, which was registered by the government on November 29 last year and tabled in Parliament on January 8 despite protests from the opposition, is pending.
Speaker Gharti said the new proposal would be forwarded following the “due process”.