The Federal Parliament Secretariat on Friday has refused to register the separate Constitution amendment bill of of Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJP) parliamentary party leader Mahantha Thakur.
Thakur had reached the secretariat in the afternoon along with RJP leaders Rajendra Mahato, Mahendra Raya Yadav and others to register the Constitution amendment bill as a non-governmental bill. Leaders of Socialist Party Nepal, that has announced unification with RJP to form Janata Samajwadi Party, however did not accompany the RJP leaders.
The bill was not registered by the secretariat despite the RJP leaders holding a long discussion with the officials. The secretariat has yet to give reasons for rejecting the bill.
"They have left leaving a copy of the bill. We will see further as it is an issue of Constitution amendment," Secretary at the Federal Parliament Secretariat Bharat Gautam told Setopati.
The bill that Thakur tried to register included issues like language, naturalized citizenship, provincial demarcation and election of National Assembly members.
The government has registered the Constitution amendment bill to amend the schedule of the Constitution, wherein the map in the coat of arms does not include the territory including Limpiyadhura, to implement the new map.
Constitution amendment requires two-third majority of the House. The ruling CPN is just short of two-third majority but the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has already pledged to support the amendment.
Madhes-based parties, Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJP) and Socialist Party Nepal, have been saying the government should also include their demands for Constitution amendment while amending it for implementation of the new map.
The government on May 20 published the new map including Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyadhura. The territorial area of Nepal has increased by 335 square kilometers with inclusion of the territory up to Limpyadhura.
The government on May 18 passed the new map including Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyadhura.
Inauguration of the Indian road via Lipu Lekh on May 8 has been widely criticized by the ruling and opposition parties alike.
The Foreign Ministry has already expressed regret over the unilateral construction and urged India to refrain from carrying out any activity inside the territory of Nepal. It then summoned the Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra and handed a diplomatic note conveying Nepal's position on the issue.
Nepal has consistently maintained that as per the Sugauli Treaty (1816), all the territories east of Kali (Mahakali) River, including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipu Lekh, belong to Nepal.
Nepal had also expressed its disagreement in 2015 through separate diplomatic notes addressed to the governments of both India and China when the two sides agreed to include Lipu Lekh Pass as a bilateral trade route without Nepal’s consent in the Joint Statement issued on 15 May 2015 during the official visit of the Prime Minister of India to China.
