KATHMANDU, Feb 21: Speaker Onsari Gharti deferred Tuesday's parliament meeting for Wednesday as leaders from the ruling as well as the main opposition CPN-UML urged the speaker to postpone it.

The House meeting was postponed for a day at the eleventh hour as representatives from various political parties at a meeting of the Parliament's Business Advisory Committee stated that they were trying to forge an understanding among political forces over several disputed issues.

"The meeting has been deferred for tomorrow [Wednesday] as the chief whip of the main opposition and leaders from ruling as well as other political parties at the Business Advisory Committee meeting requested for a postponement," Gharti told a group of journalists at the parliament building at New Baneshwar. "We deferred the meeting thinking that it would be wise to give the leaders one more day if that helps them to forge an agreement." 

Political parties are sharply divided over the bill to amend the constitution, which has already been tabled in parliament for deliberations.

The ruling parties last month tabled the constitution amendment bill in parliament but the main opposition CPN-UML along with some other political parties has termed it unnecessary. Terming it incomplete, the agitating Madhes-based parties on the other hand have demanded further changes in the bill.

Large number of lawmakers had already arrived at the parliament building by the time the parliament secretariat put up the notice about postponement citing "special reason". 

 
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