Kathmandu, August, 28

Constituents of federal alliance today submitted a memorandum to President Ram Baran Yadav, demanding withdrawal of the Nepali Army personnel from riot-hit districts and resolution of constitutional issues through dialogue.

According to Parliamentary Party leader of the Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal Ashok Kumar Rai, a delegation of the alliance met the President and urged him to stop the mobilisation of army in capacity of the Supreme Commander in Chief of the Nepali Army. Rai said the alliance leaders also drew the attention of the President towards the stalemate between the parties and said the new constitution should respect the Interim Constitution and past agreements signed with the Madhesis, Janajatis and other marginalised communities.

Rai said they also told the President that marginalised communities were agitating peacefully in parts of the country but the government was deploying security forces, including the army, to repress their agitation. “We told the President that ours is a political movement and the government must seek political resolution to our problems,” Rai added.

According to Rai, the President told the delegation that he was also unhappy over the ‘army mobilisation’ and had already sought clarification from the prime minister. The President added that the government had already clarified about the presence of army personnel in riot-hit areas.

According to President’s Press Adviser Rajendra Dahal, the President told the alliance leaders that the government had clarified that the army personnel were only assisting the civil authorities in riot-hit areas and their mobilisationwas not as per the Interim Constitution.

The President also told the leaders that he had been encouraging the major parties to win the confidence of all the stakeholders and he would continue doing the same till the last moment.

Of late, President Yadav has been encouraging the political parties to frame an open, democratic constitution which could be accepted by all regions of the country. It was because of this desire that whenever gap widens between the political parties the President tries to bring the parties closer.

On the one hand, the President is trying to encourage the three major parties to take all the stakeholders on board, the head of state is also telling the Madhesi and other agitating parties not to quit the Constituent Assembly and seek negotiated settlement of their grievances.

A few days ago, the President phoned Madhesi leaders who were participating in the ongoing agitation to come to the negotiating table.

The nine-party alliance includes Federal Socialist Forum- Nepal, Tarai Madhes Democratic Party, Sadbhawana Party, Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party Nepal and Sanghiya Limbuwan Party as its constituents.