Valley
NC Madhes leaders table 4-pt suggestion
A joint meeting of the Central Working Committee members, lawmakers and Nepali Congress presidents representing 20 Tarai districts on Monday forwarded a four-point suggestion to the party leadership as a solution of the current impasse.A joint meeting of the Central Working Committee members, lawmakers and Nepali Congress presidents representing 20 Tarai districts on Monday forwarded a four-point suggestion to the party leadership as a solution of the current impasse.
The meeting was convened by the NC Tarai-Madhes Department head Umakanta Chaudary at the party headquarters in Sanepa, Lalitpur. According to the decision forwarded to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, the party president, the leaders urged constitution amendment at the first sitting of Parliament on October 2. The meeting also suggested three separate amendment proposals.
As per the decision, the Madhes-based leaders urged the NC leadership to amend the constitution to ensure proportional inclusion and representation of various underprivileged groups and communities in state bodies as envisaged by the Interim Constitution-2007.
For this, the government needs to amend Article 42 of the new constitution. Another demand is for revision to the constitutional provision to redraw the electoral constituencies with population as the major basis. Though the country will have 165 electoral constituencies under the first-past-the-post system, the basis for their delimitation is yet to be ascertained. The yet-to-be-formed Electoral Constituency Delineation Commission will reduce the units from the present 205 to 165.
As per Article 84 (1) (a) and Article 286 (5) and (6) of the new constitution, the constituencies will be carved out on the basis of geography and population. But Madhesi NC leaders want priority for population in the process.
The meeting also called on the NC leadership to revisit the delineation of the seven provinces.
The concerns of the agitating forces over the state borders will be addressed by a federal commission, said an NC leader.
“We need this assurance from the government on the first day of Parliament session,” said a party leader.
The meeting also urged the government to start talks with the agitating groups to end the stalemate, the department said in a statement.
Over three dozen NC leaders from Tarai-Madhes, including Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Bimalendra Nidhi were present in the meeting.
Proposal to end Tarai impasse
- Amend constitution to ensure proportional representation of underprivileged groups
- Revise constitutional provision to redraw electoral constituencies with population as major basis
- Revisit the delineation of provinces
- Initiate dialogue with agitating parties