Upendra Yadav’s party demands land ordinance revisions for support on other bills

Kathmandu / March 02: Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal chair Upendra Yadav has made it clear that his party will not support the passage of five ordinances until the sixth, the controversial land ordinance, is withdrawn. Yadav has strongly criticised the ordinance, saying that it does not serve the interests of the public and instead favours land mafia and real estate groups.

During the party’s central committee meeting on Sunday, Yadav presented political and organisational reports, pointing out the detrimental effects of the ordinance on the disadvantaged, including landless people. According to him, the ordinance will benefit only a select few, particularly those with links to real estate and land dealings in the Terai and Madhesh regions.

Yadav accused the government of exploiting constitutional provisions to push through such ordinances, alleging that it was a sign of the coalition government’s “self-serving” agenda. The Janata Samajbadi leader said the ordinance would not only fail to help the real landless people but also exacerbate environmental issues, further complicating the situation.

Highlighting the serious implications, Yadav maintained that unless the land-related ordinance is revoked, his party would not support the passage of the remaining five ordinances. “We will not back the other five ordinances until the land-related one is withdrawn,” Yadav stressed.

He also pointed out that the government’s attempt to bring forward these ordinances when Parliament was due to be convened raised doubts over the motivations behind the move. Yadav stated that the government’s focus on ordinances instead of calling a session of Parliament showed “narrow-mindedness” driven by coalition interests.

Earlier, Yadav had been open to supporting other ordinances, but now his party’s stance is firmly against the passage of all six unless the land-related one is taken back. The government, however, has struggled to get the ordinances through Parliament, especially the National Assembly, where the ruling coalition lacks a majority.