Madhes-Centric Parties Welcome Formation of Constitution Amendment Task Force Led by PM's Advisor

Kathmandu. Madhes-centric parties have positively received the formation of the Constitution Amendment Task Force, chaired by Asim Shah, the political advisor to Prime Minister Balendra Shah, for amending the constitution. Madhes-centric parties have been demanding amendments since the promulgation of the constitution, arguing it is incomplete.

Resham Chaudhary, patron of the Nagarik Unmukti Party, states that it remains to be seen whether their agendas will be included in the points of amendment. Chaudhary says, 'We have struggled a lot for the amendment of the constitution; we have endured jail time for it.' He views the new government's decision to form a task force for constitutional amendment as positive. 

Chaudhary further states that it is important to see what specific issues the amendment will cover and whether they will be consulted. He mentioned that they would openly welcome it if the demands they have been raising are incorporated into the constitution. 

Parties focused on the Madhes region, including Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal, Janata Samajbadi Party, Janmat Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party, and Rastriya Mukti Party, have made constitutional amendment their main agenda and have even held protests over it. 

Chandan Singh, General Secretary of the Janmat Party and a member of the Madhes Provincial Assembly, also welcomes the government's decision for constitutional amendment. 

'We have been saying from the beginning that the constitution is weak and needs to be strengthened. We will welcome it if the work of making provinces empowered, incorporating other rights and identity issues, and correcting flaws is done,' he says. However, he suggests that the government must hold an all-party discussion and ensure the task force is inclusive when amending the constitution. 

Constitutional amendment has always been the main demand of Madhes-centric parties when making agreements with every government. However, no government so far has been able to amend the constitution. When Upendra Yadav, Chairman of JSP Nepal, proposed forming a task force for constitutional amendment to the then K.P. Sharma Oli-led government, he had to leave the government as a result. 

Later, an agreement was reached between the then Prime Minister Oli and the then another Chairman of JSP Nepal, Mahantha Thakur, to form a five-member Constitution Amendment Task Force. 

Subsequently, the Oli-led government fell. JSP Nepal also split. In 2081, the agreement reached during the alliance between UML and Congress prioritized constitutional amendment. For this, the then Congress and UML governments formed an internal study task force comprising experts. 

However, some Madhes-centric leaders are dissatisfied, claiming the government did not consult them on the issue of constitutional amendment. Dr. Surendra Kumar Jha, a central coordination committee member of JSP Nepal, welcomed the government's decision, noting that 35 people from the Madhes region sacrificed for constitutional amendment. He stated that they would be the happiest if this government amends the constitution according to their demands. 'But the convener of the task force formed now is not a constitutional expert, nor an expert on the matter. Moreover, who will be included in it is the main thing,' he says.