KATHMANDU: CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel has defended President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s refusal to authenticate the Citizenship Bill.

Pokhrel alleged the ruling coalition for trying to attack the UML party in the name of the citizenship issue.

He said that the current problem has arisen when the power coalition started disregarding the President, the symbol of Republicanism, from outside the parliament.

“The President sent it back to the House of Representatives with a message,” he said adding that the matter sent by the President to the Parliament was ignored by the ruling coalition from outside the Parliament.

He said that the UML brought the Citizenship Ordinance in favor of the children of natural citizens.

Pokhrel said that has the current coalition not tried to stop the ordinance, the citizenship issue would have been sorted by now.