Massive protest in Kathmandu against controversial Guthi Bill

Kathmandu [Nepal]: Thousands of protestors took to streets here on Wednesday demanding the government to scrap the controversial “Guthi Bill” which, they said, is against the cultural heritage of the Himalayan nation.
Guthis, a form of institutional landownership, are socio-economic institutions that fulfill religious public services and social roles from incomes of cultivated or leased land as assets. This sort of institution has been in practice in Nepal for centuries which involve members from a common lineage or several.
On April 30, the Nepali government tabled the controversial bill through the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation in the Upper House which proposes consolidation of all acts and amendments related to ‘Guthis’.
“The government has grown more pragmatic for getting a two-thirds majority and is marching towards the state of solitude. It is neither listening to the opposition nor the public and is making decisions on own whims,” Maya Dangal, one of the protesters told ANI.
“The recently tabled Guthi Bill, which has run into controversy is also claimed to be good by the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli yesterday only so we had to come down onto the streets,” Dangal added.
The residents of Kathmandu Valley, especially the Newars, who have serious dissatisfaction over the bill, have been protesting since June 9 after the festival of Rato Machhendra Nath Jatra concluded.