CPN lawmaker Binda Pandey has urged Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara to take initiative to pass the citizenship bill soon or instruct the government to make temporary arrangements for children of Nepalis who are denied citizenship.
She pointed that hundreds of children of Nepali citizens are deprived of basic daily needs and fundamental rights due to delay in passing of the bill.
"If it will still take time to pass the bill, alternative arrangements be made to meet at least the basic needs like education, health, jobs or profession of such individuals," she said addressing the House of Representatives (HoR) meeting on Thursday. "There are many facing such problems in constituency of every lawmaker. We all know about that. I, therefore, urge for special initiative by the speaker to get the citizenship bill passed through this House session."
Another CPN lawmaker Hridayesh Tripathi also urged the speaker to take initiative to get the citizenship bill passed. "The citizenship bill is stuck in the State Affairs Committee of the parliament. Scholarly friends in the committee are discussing about citizenship provisions in countries across the world. But they have not been able to move the process forward as prescribed by our Constitution," he pointed.
He expressed concerns that the citizenship bill has been stuck due to malicious intention. He also took a swipe at the Supreme Court that ordered to not implement the circular issued by the government to provide citizenship by descent to children of those who have acquired citizenship by birth.
"The government deployed a team (issued circular). The SC has thrice issued orders to stop that. Everybody knows that the court is a court. It just issues orders and does not deliver justice. This is not judiciary and just a court. Let this House pass a law that provides citizenship in accordance to the Constitution. May the speaker take initiative for that," he urged.
Thousands are awaiting this law that will grant citizenship even in the name of mother. Similarly, children of those who received citizenship by birth through a one-time arrangement after the Janaandolan II in 2006 will also get citizenship by descent once this bill turns into law. Citizenship by birth was granted to persons born in Nepal before mid-April 1990, and having permanent domicile and been continuously resident in Nepal throughout their life through the one-time arrangement.
There is dispute about whether to immediately provide citizenship to foreign women marrying Nepali men or only after some years. Madhesi lawmakers have been demanding that the foreign women marrying Nepali men be given citizenship immediately after marriage as they are being given for years.
The bill has a provision of immediately granting citizenship to foreign women marrying Nepali men but foreign men marrying Nepali women cannot get citizenship even if they wish to live in Nepal.
Another issue of contention is whether a mother can get citizenship certificate for her children by herself like fathers have been doing for decades.
A father can get citizenship certificate for children without identifying the mother but a mother can do so only after revealing the reason for lack of identification of the father, according to the bill.
The discriminatory provisions have been criticized both inside and outside the parliament.
