TOP POLITICAL LEVEL TALKS START WITH AGITATING PARTIES
Top political level talks start with agitating parties
UDMF demands implementation of past accords first
Govt/major parties seek few days' time
KATHMANDU, Nov 16: Talks between the ruling parties, the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) and the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front started from Sunday in a bid to address the months-long protest in the southern plains.
The first sitting of top guns from the major political parties and UDMF ended inconclusively but they also said that a decisive dialogue is expected to be held soon, following some homework on the part of the government.
UDMF coordinator Upendra Yadav said that they are ready to withdraw the ongoing protest once the government implements past accords reached between UDMF and the governments at different times. The ruling parties have sought a few days' time to inform the agitating parties about their official take on the implementation of such past accords.
“We have no new demands for withdrawing our protest. We have said clearly that if the government implements the past accords the protest will be withdrawn,” said Yadav while emerging from the meeting held at Singha Durbar. He said the agitating parties have demanded that the government side come up with concrete proposals on their demands at time of the next meeting.
“UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal assured us of doing something and urged us to wait until Monday evening,” Yadav said. “We are hopeful he will not betray our trust.”
Leaders from Nepali Congress (NC), UCPN (Maoist) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (RPP-N) have proposed to the agitating parties to reach a conclusion through dialogue without delay. “We have discussed various issues. We discussed reaching a conclusion at the next sitting after doing some internal homework,” said NC Vice-President Ram Chandra Paudel.
Leaders Upendra Yadav of Federal Socialist Forum Nepal (FSFN), Mahantha Thakur of Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), Laxman Lal Karna of Shadbhawana Party and Mahindra Yadav of Tarai Madhes Shadbhawana Party (TMSP) had insisted that the protest will not cool down unless their demands are met.
Submitting a copy of the agreements between the then governments and UDMF, the UDMF leaders had threatened to intensify their protest immediately after the Chhath festival.
Paudel and Sher Bahadur Deuba from NC, Jhal Nath Khanal and Agni Kharel from CPN-UML, Dahal and Narayan Kahi Shrestha from UCPN (Maoist) and Dilnath Giri from RPP-N attended the talks.
Earlier, three rounds of talks between the government and the UDMF talks team had ended with an understanding on holding talks at the top level. Objecting to the delineation of provinces and some other provisions in the new constitution, UDMF has been leading the protest in the tarai plains. The protest includes obstruction of the Nepal-India border since nearly two months.
Following the protest on the border, India has imposed an unofficial blockade against Nepal and this has resulted in the shortage of essential goods in landlocked Nepal, including medicines, gasoline, foods and various other items.
India refuses to allow tuckers into Nepal from the major entry points including Raxaul, citing security concerns, and has been urging resolution of the tarai protest first.
EmoticonEmoticon