By Our Reporter
A day after Butwal, the temporary capital of State 5, turned into battle field with vandalism and arsenal, the State 5 Assembly Tuesday endorsed the State government’s proposal to name the state as Lumbini and Bhalubang its capital with a two-thirds majority.
The State government had tabled a proposal in the State Assembly on October 2 to name the state as Lumbini and have its capital in Bhalubang in the Deukhuri Valley of Dang district.
However, the proposal to shift the capital to Bhalubang invited demonstration in the streets with several incidents of violence. Even within the State Assembly hall, the proposal was strongly opposed by the opposition parties, and a few NC lawmakers broke the chairs of the assembly in rage. Even the leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party opposed the proposal to shift the capital to Dang.
It was stated that NCP general secretary Bishnu Poudel elected from Butwal agreed to shift the capital after he was promised to give the portfolio of the Finance Ministry while Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel elected from Dang was trying to shift the capital to his home district.
In the voting held on Tuesday, the proposal to name the State as Lumbini State was endorsed with 78 votes while the proposal for locating its permanent capital in Bhalubang was approved with 69 votes in the 87-member State Assembly.
Fifty eight votes will be enough for making a two-thirds majority.
Only four votes went against the proposal to name the State as Lumbini while five members remained absent.
All the proceedings on Tuesday moved peacefully although lawmakers of opposition parties had vandalised the Assembly hall on Monday.
Now Lumbini became the fifth state to get its name and permanent capital. Still State 1 and State 2 ae yet to decide their names and capitals.
People’s Review Print Edition
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