Madheshi parties tear up draft constitution in Nepal assembly

Kathmandu: Members of some Madheshi political parties on Tuesday tore up the first draft of the new constitution in the Nepal Constituent Assembly, saying they were dissatisfied with its contents.

After their protest, the Constituent Assembly called a meeting on Thursday to discuss the content of the new constitution.

Immediately after Draft Committee chairman Krishna Prasad Sitaula handed over the draft of the new constitution to Constituent Assembly chairman Subash Chandra Nembang, a section of Madheshi parties created an uproar inside the assembly and tore up the draft constitution.

Madhesh refers to the southern plains of Nepal. The term 'Madheshi' is also used to refer to those people whose ancestors migrated from India's Bihar and Uttar Pradesh adjacent to Madhesh region.

Earlier, the Sitaula-led committee submitted the draft to the Constituent Assembly chairman after amending the provisions objected to by the opposition parties.
The opposition parties, including the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UPCN-M) had alleged that Sitaula changed the provisions, including those of the parliamentary system, fundamental rights and state policies among others, without their consent.

(IANS)