Nepali Congress, CPN-UML discuss how to bring MJF-D back into four-party fold

Kathmandu, September 7

Unified CPN-M leaders today held talks with the top guns of the Nepali Congress to find ways to address the concerns of protesting Madhesi and Tharu forces.

According to UCPN-M negotiator Narayan Kaji Shrestha, his party told the NC leaders that while it was important to promulgate a new constitution soon, it was equally important to win the confidence of maximum number of stakeholders. “We have told the NC leaders that if we do not win confidence of maximum number of stakeholders now, we will be able to manage the old conflict by promulgating a new constitution but that could give rise to new kinds of conflicts,” Shrestha said and added that NC President and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala agreed with their observation and assured them that he would also hold talks with other stakeholders.

Shrestha said attempts should be made to address the concerns of Tharus and Madhesis so that promulgation of new constitution would not become a seed of new conflicts.

“We need to make attempts to win everybody’s confidence and if we cannot do that, then our efforts should be to ensure that the resentment against the new constitution is minimum,” Shrestha said. Both sides – the NC and the UCPN-M – agreed to hold talks with the leaders of other parties and forces, including the CPN-UML, United Democratic Madhesi Front, Tharuwan/Tharuhat Joint Struggle Committee and even Mohan Baidhya led CPN-Maoist.

Shrestha said if parties agreed to address the concerns of the agitating forces and if they reached a deal, then the Constituent Assembly could find a way out to incorporate the agreed upon things into the new constitution. Shrestha said there were some individual amendment proposals in the CA which could be used to address the concerns of the agitating forces.

NC Joint General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka told THT that the two sides discussed how they could bring Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar-led Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum–Democratic back into the four-party fold. “But I do not think that we have any other option than to find solutions from among the amendment proposals registered at the CA,” he added. Khadka said discussion would continue till the promulgation of the new constitution. He said if parties failed to address the concerns of the protesting parties before the promulgation of the constitution, they would try to resolve the issues even after promulgation of the constitution through amendments.