By Our Reporter
Unlike the House of Representatives, the National Assembly did not endorse the Citizenship Bill as it is. Instead, it has forwarded the Bill to the Legislative Management Committee, a parliamentary subject committee under the National Assembly for deliberations.
Endorsing a proposal asking to send it to the 'Nepal Citizenship (First Amendment) Bill, 2079 BS' to the subject committee, the Upper House of the Federal Parliament forwarded the Bill to the committee for reconsideration on Sunday, 10 days after it arrived in the National Assembly.
The bill that originated in the Lower House was forwarded to the Upper House with a message after its second endorsement. Earlier, the President returned it to the House seeking reconsideration on some arrangements of the Bill, which resulted in a confrontation between the government and the President.
Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khand tabled the proposal in the meeting of the House on Sunday. The House of Representatives had passed the bill as it is again after the President returned the bill to the House for reconsideration and forwarded it to the National Assembly with a message. The next meeting of the Upper House is scheduled for September 1.
A meeting of the Legislative Management Committee of the National Assembly discussed the Bill on Monday.
However, as the ruling parties enjoy a majority in the Upper House, the Bill will easily get through it.
Moreover, President Bidya Devi Bhandari has hinted that she would authenticate the Bill if it is passed through both Houses again.
After Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other NC leaders held a meeting with the President on Monday and tried to convince her that the Bill was similar to the ordinance she issued last year, the President reportedly agreed to authenticate the Bill. When the government and the ruling party leaders were worried by the rumours that the President was resigning over the Bill, Deuba reached Shital Niwas with party vice president Dhanraj Gurung, general secretary Gagan Thapa and Minister Gyanedra Bahadur Karki. The meeting, as reported by local media, ended the misunderstanding between the two institutions. The body language of the PM after the meeting also showed that the President had agreed to authenticate the Bill as it is.
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