Nepal Opposition protests against govt's plan to amend Constitution to benefit Madhesis

Kathmandu: Nepal’s main opposition alliance led by the Communist Party of Nepal — Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN UML) launched a massive protest in the capital on Friday to force the government to withdraw the Constitution amendment bill aimed at addressing the demands of agitating Madhesi parties.

The nine party alliance hopes to gather more than one lakh activists and supporters in the capital as a major show of strength against the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka ‘Prachanda’-led coalition government’s move.

The rally is aimed at forcing the government to withdraw the Constitution amendment bill.

The ruling alliance mainly comprising CPN Maoist Center and Nepali Congress has been making efforts to amend the Constitution aiming to address the demands of agitating Madhesi parties.

Eight smaller left parties including CPN- ML, and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) will also join the rally against the government.

CPN UML chairman K P Oli, CPN ML general secretary C P Mainali and NWPP Chairman Narayan Man Bijukchhe are the prominent opposition leaders who will join the protest.

The bill, which was registered at the Parliament Secretariat in November, aims to accommodate the demands of the agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups that include citizenship and boundary demarcation issues among others.

Re-demarcation of the provincial boundary and citizenship issue are the two major demands put forth by the Madhesis.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a six-month-long agitation from September 2015 to February last year in which more than 50 people were killed.

The agitation had also crippled the landlocked country’s economy as supplies from India were blocked.