Nepal’s main Opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) and the agitating group of Madhesis have agreed to quickly resolve the current political crisis due to the ongoing blockade of key border trade points with India.
Meanwhile, a Class X Madhesi student was killed on Sunday in police firing in southern Nepal as fresh protests by Madhesis engulfed the Terai region already crippled by a four-month-long agitation over the new Constitution. Tavrej Alam, 18, was killed when police opened fire on protesters led by the United Madhesi Democratic Front (UMDF) in Rautahat district headquarters Gaur when a crowd of about 1,500 demonstrators allegedly started throwing stones and bottles at security personnel, a police official said.
However, the NC and representatives of the UMDF met at NC president Sushil Koirala’s residence at Maharjgunj on Saturday.
During the meeting, they held discussions on contemporary issues and the ongoing unrest in the Terai region, and agreed to resolve the current political crisis as soon as possible.
The NC urged the front to support resolving the crisis through the Constitution amendment process as the Bill related to the same has been tabled in Parliament.
The party also asked the front to forge consensus on the Bill as it could be revised by including the front’s demands.
In response, the Front asked for a clear roadmap of the NC in revising the demarcation of provinces, citing that the Bill could not address the delineation issues.
Madhesis, the Indian-origin inhabitants of the Terai region are agitating over the new Constitution demanding more representation. They are also protesting division of their ancestral homeland under the seven-province structure and have led an ongoing blockade of key border trade points with India.
According to NC spokesperson Dilendra Badu, Saturday’s meeting discussed ways to address the demands of the front. He added that the NC urged the front to be responsible to sort out the problem through dialogue and consensus. Terai-Madhes Democratic Party spokesperson Sarbendra Nath Shukla said that they held discussions with NC on the issues related to Constitution amendment. PTI
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has called an emergency meeting of his Cabinet in view of the growing tension. Southern Nepal, including Gaur and Birgunj, have remained tense since Saturday as UDMF launched a new phase of protests in the volatile region, alleging that the Government was not “serious” during the talks they had had with the Government.