The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has put a dissenting opinion on the citizenship bill in the State Affairs Committee of the parliament.
NC lawmakers in the committee Dilendra Prasad Badu, Devendra Raj Kandel, Dila Sangraula Panta, Amresh Kumar Singh, Mina Pandey and Binod Chaudhary during the committee's meeting on Sunday have put the dissenting opinion on the proposal made in the committee in accordance to the decision of ruling CPN.
The party has put a dissenting opinion saying the bill should be amended continuing the provisions of the Citizenship Act 2006. The meeting of NC office-bearers earlier on the day had instructed the lawmakers to put dissenting opinion.
Ruling CPN on Saturday had proposed any foreign woman marrying a Nepali man should get naturalized citizenship only seven years after marriage
CPN Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha told Setopati after the party's secretariat meeting at Baluwatar Saturday that the decision was taken after discussing on the provisions of the bill. "We reached conclusion on provisions about naturalized citizenship that a foreign woman marrying a Nepali man can get," Shrestha had said. "We have reached conclusion that it would be appropriate for a foreign woman marrying a Nepali man to get naturalized citizenship after confirmation that she has stayed inside the country for seven years and submitting evidence of starting the process to renounce her foreign citizenship or other similar certificate."
The women will be provided residential certificate granting all kinds of social, cultural and financial rights from the day they arrive after marriage, the party has decided.
Madhes-based parties have been demanding that any foreign woman marrying a Nepali man should get naturalized citizenship immediately after marriage as was happening before the new Constitution was promulgated pointing at the centuries-old cultural relationship with India.
The bill is under consideration in the State Affairs Committee of the parliament since August 21, 2018. The committee has yet to reach consensus on providing naturalized citizenship to those marrying a Nepali citizen.
The State Affairs Committee on Wednesday had instructed the government to forge consensus on the citizenship bill within five days.
