Madhes-based parties reject talks, challenge 3 major parties to console people themselves

Challenge three major parties to console people themselves
KATHMANDU, Sept 12: Calling the three major political parties' decision to halt the constitution-drafting process until Sunday a farce, the agitating Madhesi parties have said they will not sit for talks until their preconditions are met. The big three political parties - Nepali Congress, CPN UML and UCPN (Maosits) - had decided on Friday to defer the deliberations in the Constituent Assembly for two days.

Sadbhavana Party Co-chairman Laxman Lal Karna said that the agitating parties cannot sit for talks as long as curfew continues, oppression of protestors persists and the Nepal Army keeps on patrolling in the Tarai districts."In actual sense, they have not halted the (constitution-making) process. It is just a farce. The state is killing people in Madhes. We cannot agree for talks unless excessive use of force in Madhes is stopped," said Karna.

"The demands of the people on the street should be addressed by the state. If they assure people of Madhes, we are ready to sit for talks," he added.

Federal Socialist Forum Nepal Co-chairman Rajendra Shrestha said that the three major political parties tried to deceive the agitating parties and the people by saying that the constitution-drafting process has been put on hold. "Saturday is a public holiday and they are deceiving the people by saying that they have halted the process on Saturday," said Shrestha.

"Unless the three major political parties express their commitments on the previous agreements reached with the Madhes-based parties and ethnic communities, we cannot sit for talks," he added.

Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) Vice-chairman Hridayesh Tripathi urged the government and big three parties to stop pretending that they really want to address the demands of the people of Madhes and Tharuhat regions.

"This move was taken just to show the international community that they are serious about talks. If they were really serious, they should have stopped the army deployment and killing of people in Madhes," said Tripathi.

"The leaders of major political parties have not even expressed their grief on the deaths of people in Madhes. How can we sit for talks with such insensitive people?" he added.

He also challenged the leaders of major political parties to come to Tarai-Madhes and console the people themselves.

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