The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has demanded the controversial guthi bill registered in the National Assembly be withdrawn as per parliamentary process.
Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Padma Aryal announced withdrawal of the bill holding a press conference Tuesday afternoon. But the bill has yet to be withdrawn from the National Assembly.
Speaking in the House of Representatives (HoR) on Wednesday, the main opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba questioned the procedure of withdrawal and demanded its proper withdrawal through parliamentary process.
CPN lawmaker in the National Assembly Ram Narayan Bidari concurred and stated that the bill that was registered in the National Assembly should be withdrawn from the National Assembly itself. "The bill cannot be withdrawn merely through government's announcement. Parliamentary process must be followed for that," Bidari, a lawyer by training, said. "Minister should propose its withdrawal in the National Assembly meeting. It will be withdrawn only after the National Assembly approves."
He added that the bill once withdrawn from the National Assembly will be as good as annulled.
The government was forced to announce the bill's withdrawal following widespread criticism. Newar communities in all three districts of the Kathmandu Valley opposed the bill complaining that the government is trying to destroy their culture and tradition.
