Opposition lawmakers call for repealing Guthi bill

Kathmandu, June 13: Lawmakers from the main opposition party, Nepali Congress, speaking in the meeting of the House of Representatives today called for retracting the Guthi bill, citing it was against the religion and culture.

MPs of the Nepali Congress and the Rastriya Janata Party (RJP) stood from their seats in protest soon after Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara started the proceedings.

Referring to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s recent participation in the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s conference, Bhimsen Das Pradhan reminded that the ILO in its conference in 1991 had passed a provision for the protection of the Guthis for the protection of religion and culture of the indigenous nationalities and demanded to withdraw the Guthi bill without delay.

Meanwhile, Lawmakers of the ruling parties have put forth their views in favour of the Guthi bill while those from the opposition parties protested it during the special hour of today’s meeting of the House of Representatives.

On the occasion, lawmakers of the ruling parties said that the bill, brought as per Article 290 of the constitution, is going to make the people owner of the land while the lawmakers of the opposition parties blamed the government of bringing the bill by undervaluing the religion, tradition, and culture.

Meantime, most of the lawmakers blamed the government of turning its deaf ears to the direction of the State Affairs Committee to cancel the vacancy announced by the Public Service Commission.

Similarly, some other parliamentarians drew government’s attention to provide compensation to the victims of the storm in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts as it caused huge losses there, to initiate constitution amendment process and to control river encroachment at different districts.