The bill brought to bring citizenship law in line with the Constitution has been stuck in the subcommittee under the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the parliament.
The committee had formed the subcommittee two months back to forge consensus on disputed issues of the bill after failing to finalize it even after a long discussion.
The subcommittee was formed on April 2 with a 15-day mandate to forge political consensus on issues including how to provide naturalized citizenship to those marrying a Nepali citizen. The subcommittee's terms of reference also included holding discussions with top leaders of the political parties to forge consensus.
But the subcommittee has not held any meeting after holding three meetings that selected Bijay Subba as its coordinator, formulated working procedure and entered the subject respectively. It has not held the fourth meeting or sought extension of the mandate more than a month after it expired.
"The subcommittee was given a 15-day deadline to forge consensus. But it has neither submitted report nor application seeking extension," committee chairman Shashi Shrestha told Setopati. "I have informally instructed to finish it soon. The subcommittee meaning will likely be held in a few days."
Members of the subcommittee Ram Sahay Yadav and Mina Pandey said meeting has not been held as coordinator Subba is out of Kathmandu.
The winter session of the parliament had ended soon after the subcommittee was formed. No meeting was convened after that as most of the lawmakers went to their districts. The budget session started once they returned to Kathmandu and the lawmakers are busy discussing other bills in the parliamentary committee.
Thousands are awaiting this law that will grant citizenship even in the name of mother. Similarly, children of those who received citizenship by birth through a one-time arrangement after the Janaandolan II in 2006 will also get citizenship by descent once this bill turns into law. Citizenship by birth was granted to persons born in Nepal before mid-April 1990, and having permanent domicile and been continuously resident in Nepal throughout their life through the one-time arrangement.
There is dispute about whether to immediately provide citizenship to foreign women marrying Nepali men or only after some years. Madhesi lawmakers have been demanding that the foreign women marrying Nepali men be given citizenship immediately after marriage as they are being given for years.
The bill has a provision of immediately granting citizenship to foreign women marrying Nepali men but foreign men marrying Nepali women cannot get citizenship even if they wish to live in Nepal.
Another issue of contention is whether a mother can get citizenship certificate for her children by herself like fathers have been doing for decades.
A father can get citizenship certificate for children without identifying the mother but a mother can do so only after revealing the reason for lack of identification of the father, according to the bill.
The discriminatory provisions have been criticized both inside and outside the parliament.
