State Affairs Committee instructs govt to forge consensus on citizenship bill within 5 days

Shova Sharma

Kathmandu, June 17

The State Affairs Committee of the parliament has instructed the government to forge consensus on the citizenship bill within five days.

The bill is under consideration in the committee since August 21, 2018. The committee last discussed on the proposal to provide citizenship to any woman marrying a Nepali man only seven years after marriage.

But the committee failed to forge consensus. Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa on Wednesday said time is needed as citizenship is a sensitive issue. The discussion on the bill has again been extended after Minister Thapa demanded time.

Committee Chairman Shashi Shrestha asked how consensus can be forged. CPN lawmaker Janardan Sharma in response said there is no alternative to political consensus.

Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Dilendra Badu concurred and asked for consensus among the top political leadership on the issue of citizenship. "The bill should be passed from this House session," Shrestha said after the discussion. "Let the government forge consensus on the issue within five days."

The bill has been stuck in the House in the name of consensus.

Published Date: 2020-06-17 15:36:00

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