Constitution amendment bill tabled amid opposition protest -

The government on Sunday tabled the Constitution amendment bill amid protests from opposition party lawmakers.The bill was registered at the Parliament Secretariat on November 29, 2016; but the government was unable to table it owing to the continuous House obstruction imposed by the main opposition CPN-UML among other opposition forces.The opposition parties had claimed that the bill was against national interests and should be withdrawn. However, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ajaya Shankar Nayak, tabled the bill today on behalf of the government. Earlier, the opposition lawmakers had let Minister Nayak to table some election-related bills. They, however, had tried to obstruct the meeting as Nayak was preparing to table the amendment bill. But, the Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar did not pay any heed and asked Minister Nayak to table the amendment bill as well. The opposition parties had held a meeting in Kathmandu today and decided to let the House pass the election-related bills, but continue protesting the amendment bill, demanding its withdrawal.Meanwhile, the next Parliament meeting has been scheduled for Monday afternoon.