Guthi Bill was a controversial bill tabled at the National Assembly of Nepal by the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation on 29 April 2019.[1] It proposed nationalising all guthis and replacing the Guthi Sansthan with a powerful commission that would manage and regulate all guthis as well as religious sites and ceremonies. The proposed bill, and especially clauses 23 and 24 of it,[2] sparked widespread protests by the Newar community in the Kathmandu Valley[3] which viewed the bill as an attack on their religious and cultural heritage.[4][1] Following a period of sustained street protests, the government officially withdrew the bill on 25 June 2019, the first time an incumbent Nepali government has withdrawn a bill it introduced to parliament.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b "Everything you need to know about the Guthi Bill". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- ^ "The Rising Nepal: Guthi Bill aims to preserve and promote religion, culture". www.therisingnepal.org.np. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- ^ Times, Nepali (19 June 2019). "Street vs Guthi Bill". Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- ^ "Thousands in Nepal protest against cultural 'guthi' bill". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- ^ "Government withdraws controversial Guthi Bill". The Himalayan Times. 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2020-01-14.