By Ranju Kafle
Kathmandu, Jun 1: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Shivamaya Tumbahamphe on Sunday tabled the Constitution amendment proposal in the House of Representatives of the Federal Parliament.
The government has proposed to amend the Constitution in the support of all political parties to replace the old map on schedule 3 of the Constitution. The updated political and administrative map of Nepal made public recently includes Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura as Nepali territory.
According to the Constitution, a two-thirds vote in the House could approve the change in the Coat of Arms of the country. With the Nepali Congress deciding to back the Constitution amendment proposal, the Bill would be endorsed easily.
The government had already issued the new map and approved it for the use. The amendment Bill was registered in the House on May 22 seeking an update on schedule 3 of the Constitution that includes the Coat of Arms with a map of the country.
Schedule 3 has the national emblem with Nepal’s map which requires correction as per the actual territory of the nation. “Amendment bill is here to incorporate the changes in the emblem,” the Law Minister said.
The updated map was publicly released on May 20 following a Cabinet decision of May 18. The Department of Survey under the Ministry of Land Management had cited cartographic evidences from the Treaty of Sugauli 1816. The earlier map issued in 2032 BS had missed Gunji, Nabhi and Kuri villages in its territory that fall inside the Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulek triangle in the north western border.
Formal discussion over the amendment proposal is expected to start this week while the government has managed to garner required two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution and include updated map in the national emblem.
Of the 275 seats in the lower House, ruling NCP has 174 which means it needs to get the support of 10 more lawmakers for the amendment of the constitution with a two-thirds majority. Main opposition NC holds 63 seats and its central committee on Saturday decided to vote in favour of the amendment proposal. The NC’s unconditional support has ensured the required two-thirds majority in the House to amend the constitution.
Territorial dispute between Nepal and India came to surface after India, in last November, issued its political map including the lands of Lipulek, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani as its territory. Nepal had immediately objected to India’s unilateral move of publishing the map and asked for a dialogue on the issue.
However, India ignored it under different pretexts and recently it inaugurated a road built in the Nepali territory, prompting the government of Nepal first to hand over a diplomatic note to India objecting to the unilateral act and unveil an updated map including the territories which were not included in the map after 1975. Following the strong objection of Nepal, India’s Ministry of External Affairs claimed that the road lay in its territory.