Rastriya Janata Party Nepal(RJP) has opposed the decision of ruling CPN to grant naturalized citizenship seven years after marriage.
The party holding a meeting at Singha Durbar on Wednesday has said its attention has been drawn to the decision taken by secretariat meeting on Saturday and added that the decision will harm the Nepal-India relation.
CPN on Saturday had proposed any foreign woman marrying a Nepali man should get naturalized citizenship only seven years after marriage.
"The provision of CPN secretariat requiring a foreign woman to wait for seven years to acquire Nepali citizenship certificate seems the woman would be deprived of her rights for financial and individual progress, acquiring properties, and other opportunities," a statement issued by Mahantha Thakur after the party's meeting on Sunday reads.
RJP has said that the CPN decision will definitely harm the centuries-old social, cultural and matrimonial relationship between Nepal and India. "This will not acceptable to us at any cost as this will affect the roti-beti (bread and daughter) relationship with India, affect tens of millions people of the two countries and also discriminate among women," the statement adds. "We are saddened by such decision that violates our social and cultural norms and values, and also harms social harmony."
RJP has also urged CPN to rethink its decision.
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 citizenship 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 had decided.
The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has also opposed the CP decision and proposed that the bill should be amended continuing the provisions of the Citizenship Act 2006.
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.
