The two major parties in the Parliament, Congress and UML, made constitutional amendment the main political 'agenda' when they agreed on seven points for power cooperation on 17 June 2081. But even after a year has passed, nothing has been done regarding the amendment of the constitution.

Lately, it has stopped getting entry even in the informal discussions between the leaders of the alliance. 

Ever since it was mentioned in the seven-point agreement, interest has been expressed from various parties regarding the amendment of the constitution. After the formation of the coalition of the two major parties in the parliament, only to show its justification, this 'agenda' was also mentioned in the consensus point. 

KP Sharma Oli, who was appointed Prime Minister on June 30, 2081, said that constitutional amendment is needed to remove instability while taking the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on July 6. "What we all feel is instability is the main challenge of development. An amendment to the constitution is needed to remove instability," he said. "Disappointment cannot be overcome without building a strong system to lead the country towards development and prosperity. Without stability, a strong system will not be built. He said that constitutional amendment is indispensable for that. 

Prime Minister Oli mentioned that the Constitution will be amended to strengthen democracy, promote good governance and advance development and for the benefit of the people. He argued that even though Congress and UML are competing parties, both parties have come together to communicate hope by removing the deep disappointment prevailing in the country.

'I am a person who always moves forward. I am not going to put a back gear on my journey," he said. "Even if we have two-thirds for the amendment, we are not in the mood to do it by two-thirds. We have all made the constitution together, we have all amended it together. We will also make another amendment. If it is not possible to come to a place, the constitution has determined its own process.' 

In the same meeting of the House of Representatives, Oli announced the seven-point agreement between the two parties. The second point of agreement is the subject of constitutional amendment. It is said there that - "The government of national consensus will review the strengths and weaknesses and complications that have emerged in practice after the implementation of the constitution and give priority to the necessary amendments to the constitution and the creation of appropriate laws for political stability."

Questions are being raised even within the Congress, the main power partner, about the fact that the constitutional amendment has been overshadowed. After the issue of constitutional amendment was raised in the Congress Central Committee meeting held in the third week of June, it was decided to form a working group on it.

The Madhesh-centric parties that participated and supported the government are also questioning the promise of constitutional amendment made by the government. The meeting of the Federal Democratic Front of Madhesh-centric parties has demanded that the government's opinion on the constitutional amendment be made public immediately. 

Radheshyam Adhikari, a former member of the National Assembly and a constitutional scholar, says that it is becoming clear that the Congress and the UML are talking about amending the constitution only to gain power. What is the reason for the Congress-UM alliance so that there is no strong main opposition? It was called the issue of constitutional amendment to the people," he said, "but after a year, not a single step has been taken in that direction. After doing what he said, the question has started to arise.' 

The official's analysis is that there is no commitment in the ruling coalition for constitutional amendment. Why is the matter of amending the constitution? It has been discussed in the Congress meeting, but it is not even within the UML," he said. "If there is an intention to amend, the parties used to form committees at the internal, common and national levels to work on this matter. Nothing like that was seen.' 

Leaders say that Prime Minister Oli is indifferent about constitutional amendment. In the UML central committee meeting held on December 21-23, Oli said that the amendment of the constitution will be done only in 2087 and indicated that the amendment process is closed immediately. After his statement, the rationale of the alliance was questioned.

Congress and UML have decided to cooperate until the 2084 elections with the main goal of amending the constitution. But Oli made light of the issue by saying that the constitutional amendment will be done only after the 2084 elections,” commented a Congress leader. According to the agreement reached last year, UML president Oli will lead the government for two years from the date of formation of the national government, and then Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba will lead the government until the general election in November 2084.

The vice president of the opposition party Maoist, Agni Sapkota, says that there is no doubt that the alliance of two major parties talked about amending the constitution only to mislead the people. It was mysteriously agreed upon in the middle of the night. We were clear from the beginning. Now the people are also freed from confusion," he said. "Generally, the first and second parties do not form the government in the parliamentary system. Made suddenly and surprisingly. If we are talking about big things like constitutional amendment, but that was only to get to power.

  Prime Minister Oli himself said that the constitution amendment will be done only after 2084. He argues that the political legitimacy of the government has ended because the coalition has failed in the main issue of constitutional amendment. Taking steps towards what you said is a far-fetched thing, it doesn't seem to have come to mind. This is a matter of shame,' he said, 'there is no debate on the constitution even within the parties and alliances in the government.' The number of Congress and UML MPs in the House of Representatives is 166. Two-thirds of the number required for constitutional amendment is 184. The two parties do not even have a simple majority in the National Assembly. The 59-member National Assembly requires 30 members for a majority and 40 members for a two-thirds vote.

The number of MPs of Congress and UML reaches only 26 in the upper house. Since there is no simple majority, the government is also forced to pass a bill of its own accord from the National Assembly. The government had to withdraw the ordinance related to land after it was not passed by the National Assembly. 

Mahesh Bertaula, the chief whip of the UML House of Representatives, says that arithmetic within the parliament will be important for the amendment of the constitution. Bringing the issue of constitutional amendment into the debate will only polarize the country. Arithmetic should be looked at to reach the conclusion," he said. "Opponents' working style and psychology is only opposition. In the current situation, the issue of constitutional amendment should not be brought up for debate. We are also aware of fishermen in murky waters.' 

Chief Whip Bertaula said that it is important for the two major parties to stay together on the matter of identifying the strong and weak aspects of the constitution and amending the weak aspects. "The issue of bringing the constitutional amendment to a conclusion is not the same as talking in the mother's house. The discussion will be started at the right time to be successful," he said. "We are preparing internally without saying or making a fuss. Taking into account all the circumstances, we will prepare the basis for the national acceptance and approval of the constitutional amendment.'

'Progress in building the economy and development, but expectations were not met in good governance and constitutional amendment'

Padam Giri, leader, UML

What success did the coalition government achieve in one year?

The broken economy was put on the right track. Most of the economic indicators were positive. Exports have increased, currency reserves have increased and inflation is under control. All these are indicators of improvement. 

To make the parliament effective Isn't attention seen in law making? 

The government through an ordinance has amended laws to create an investment-friendly environment in the country and attract foreign investment. It has brought enthusiasm in various fields. There have been more commitments in foreign investment than in the past. Compared to the past, this parliament has played an effective role in implementing federalism and making other necessary laws. This is possible due to the priority of the government and ministers.