New Delhi: India on Sunday hailed the two amendments to the newly adopted constitution passed by Nepal’s parliament as “positive developments”.
“We regard the two amendments passed yesterday (on Saturday) by the Nepali parliament as positive developments,” external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said.
“We hope that other outstanding issues are similarly addressed in a constructive spirit,” he tweeted.
The Nepali parliament approved the first ever amendment to the country’s new constitution to address the agitating Madhesis’ demands for proportionate representation and allocation of seats in parliament on the basis of population.
The amendment proposal was approved on Saturday night by a majority vote amid slogan-shouting by lawmakers from the agitating Madhes-based parties.
As many as 461 of the 468 lawmakers participating in the process voted in favour of the first constitutional amendment bill while seven voted against.
The Madhesh-based parties, under the banner of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) or the Madhesi Morcha, as it is more commonly known, are agitating in the southern Tarai plains adjoining India since after the new constitution came into force on September 20 last year. They did not participate in the voting.
“Though the step is progressive, it is not enough to meet our demands,” the Madhesi Morcha said in its initial reaction.
Madhesi Morcha leader Upendra Yadav told IANS that the constitutional amendment will not work because they were not consulted. (IANS)
