In a concept paper publicized jointly on Friday, the four parties have floated conditions on three broad agendas -- peace process, constitution drafting and Madhes issues -- to UCPN (Maoist) and Nepali Congress to extend their support for formation of the new government. [break]
The support of Madhesi parties is a must for formation of the new government led either by Maoist or Nepali Congress in the current mathematical equation in parliament.
According to TMDP Joint General Secretary Jitendra Sonar, the Madhesi parties will hold a meeting with the Nepali Congress (NC) at 8 am, Sunday and with the Maoists the same afternoon to discuss their agendas. The parties chose to abstain from voting on Friday saying that they were yet to negotiate with the Maoists and NC.
The four Madhes-based parties have formed a four-member talks team comprising chiefs of all four parties to hold talks with the Maoists and the NC. “We will arrive at a decision after detailed discussions with them on our agendas,” added Sonar.
Both the Maoists and NC had sent separate invite letter for dialogue shortly after the four parties publicized their conditions for support. After the CPN-UML withdrew the candidacy of Jhala Nath Khanal, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and NC Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel are in the race for the prime minister´s post.
The United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), comprising the four Madhes based parties, command 82 seats in parliament.
The front has demanded implementation of the 22 and eight-point agreements reached between Madhesi People´s Forum and United Democratic Madhesi Front in the past, guarantee of autonomous Madhes province, formulation of separate acts and regulations to ensure reservation of Madhesis in all state organs, and withdrawal of the decision to form State Restructuring Commission.
Checking rampant deforestation in Tarai, imposing ban on the export of sand and pebbles, scrapping the idea of community forest and replacing it with the concept of partnership forest and providing citizenship certificates to the people as per the provisions in the interim constitution are also among the conditions put forth by the Madhesi parties.
The Madhesi parties have also demanded that the Maoists sever ties with their combatants by accomplishing the tasks of integration and rehabilitation within four months.
Fixing the number of Maoist combatants to be integrated into security agencies within one month, disbanding paramilitary structure of Young Communist League within one week of government formation and returning seized properties within one month are among the other demands put forward by the front.
The Madhesi parties have demanded that the government take initiatives to democratize and make the national army inclusive, ensure bulk recruitment of Madhesis on proportional basis in the national army, hold dialogues with agitating armed groups in eastern hills and central Tarai and formulate new national security policy.
Likewise on issue of constitution drafting, the Madhesi parties have asked the party seeking their support to guarantee the new constitution by mid-April and promulgate it by May 28, 2011.
The parties have also sought guarantee of human rights, press freedom, federal democratic republic, regional autonomy and rights to self determination, pluralism, multi-party democracy, independent judiciary, civilian and constitutional supremacy, rule of law, proportional electoral system and periodic elections in the new constitution.
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