The House of Representatives (HoR), on August 18, has endorsed the Citizenship Amendment Bill sent back to parliament earlier by President Bidya Devi Bhandari along with her suggestions, reports My Republica. During a voting held in parliament on August 18, a total of 135 voted in favor of endorsing the Amendment Bill in its current form, while 60 lawmakers belonging to the main opposition party, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML), voted against the Amendment Bill. Only 195 lawmakers were present in the HoR meeting on August 18. Lawmakers had deliberated on the amendment bill at Thursday's (August 18) meeting of parliament. While lawmakers belonging to the ruling coalition argued that the Amendment Bill should be endorsed without any further delay as children of those receiving citizenship certificates by birth were denied citizenship certificates, the lawmakers belonging to the opposition parties suggested forwarding the Bill to the thematic committee of parliament to arrive at consensus on contentious provisions in the Bill. Responding to the queries of lawmakers, Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand said that the failure of parliament to endorse the Amendment Bill would deprive citizenship certificates to around 700,000 children of those receiving citizenship certificates by birth earlier in Nepal. He also urged all lawmakers to help endorse the Bill to help them avoid rendering ‘Stateless’. Leaders belonging to the ruling parties said the Bill will be sent again to President Bhandari for authentication after it is endorsed again by the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) lawmaker Gokul Prasad Baskota, on August 18, has drawn the attention of parliament not to make citizenship cheap, reports My Republica. Speaking at the meeting of the House of Representatives on August 18, Baskota mentioned that in most countries of the world there is no such thing as making citizenship cheap, but he said that there is a need to have a serious discussion on the issue of citizenship after learning from the neighboring countries. He also said that it was wrong to bring the Citizenship Bill in haste. He said that as a trap for the coalition of the ruling parties, the Citizenship Bill should not be crushed and the country should not be divided. CPN-UML lawmaker Baskota said that there is no point in giving citizenship based on region, race and gender. Also, CPN-UML lawmaker Padam Giri has said that the ruling coalition has played the game of sinking the country by issuing the controversial Citizenship Bill. Further, CPN-UML lawmaker Bhim Bahadur Rawal has said that the President has fulfilled her constitutional duty to protect the nation by sending the Citizenship Bill back to parliament, adding that issues like citizenship cannot be announced by the ruling alliance. But he said that everyone agreed that those who are in fact Nepalis should get citizenship.