On Sunday, Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari issued an ordinance to bring in crucial amendments to the country’s citizenship laws. The changes primarily allow for children of “bona fide” Nepali citizens and of Nepali mothers, whose fathers’ identities are unknown, to secure Nepali citizenship by descent.
The issue of citizenship is particularly important in Nepal, as it is a prerequisite for not only securing government jobs or standing for elections, but also for acquiring or selling property and getting admissions into educational institutions. Concerningly, several members of the Madhesi community in the country have failed to get citizenship due to the strict laws governing the matter. The group’s victimisation is a result of the anti-India sentiment flourishing in Nepal, as they are considered to be of Indian descent. Hence, the loosening of citizenship laws is likely to be highly beneficial to the Madhesi community, which has been at the forefront of the call for such amendments.
The current proposal had been circulated in the Nepalese Parliament’s House of Representatives for over two years now. However, it failed to get passed because of inter-party disputes and strong opposition from the country’s lawmakers. In fact, KP Sharma Oli and other members of his party opposed the changes as they believed it would result in several individuals with Nepali mothers and foreign (specifically Indian) fathers securing Nepalese citizenship.
However, the amendments were a precondition put forth by the Mahantha Thakur-Rajendra Mahato faction of the Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal (JSP) to commit to supporting Oli amidst the ongoing political crisis in the country. The JSP is a key political party for the Madhesi community. In addition, the faction has also asked for the release of its party members who had been arrested, along with demanding eight to ten positions in the cabinet and two deputy prime minister positions (one for Mahato and the other for Bhandari). They have also asked for the Lal commission report on the government’s suppression of the 2015 Madhesi movement to be made public.
The JSP has emerged as a crucial player in the ongoing political crisis in Nepal. An intra-party rift in Oli’s National Communist Party resulted in the departure of CPN-Moist Centre leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal“Prachanda” and subsequently led to Oli losing his majority in the Parliament. Consequently, the MPs were given a 48-hour deadline to stake a claim for a majority government. However, both Oli and the Nepali Congress President, Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was also supported by Prachanda, failed to secure the support of 136 members of the Parliament to be appointed as the PM on Friday.
Following this, on Saturday, President Bhandari announced the dissolution of the country’s Parliament and called for fresh elections, which will now be conducted on November 12 and 19, 2021. However, it remains to be seen whether Oli will be re-appointed as the country’s Prime Minister and have the power to give out the ministerial portfolios and the deputy Prime Minister positions as promised.
Nepalese President Issues Ordinance Amending Citizenship Laws
Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari has issued an ordinance to amend the Citizenship Act, which is likely to benefit Madhes minorities in Nepal.
May 25, 2021
SOURCE: RSS