NC and CPN-MC should agree to grant martyr status to those killed during Madhesi stir, bear treatment cost of the injured and withdraw cases against UDMF cadres

Kathmandu, July 29

Sadbhawana Party Chairperson Rajendra Mahato said the United Democratic Madhesi Front would not join the government until the constitution was amended to meet UDMF’s 11-point demands.

Speaking at an interaction organised by Reporters Club here today, Mahato said the UDMF wanted amendment to the constitution to address their concerns about the revision of the provincial boundaries and issues of citizenship, language and representation, among others.

Mahato said if the Nepali Congress and the CPN-Maoist Centre agreed to grant martyrdom status to those killed during Madhesi movement, bear treatment cost of the injured and withdraw cases against the UDMF cadres, the UDMF could provide support to the NC and the CPN-MC to form a new government.

Mahato said the NC and the CPN-MC had not sought the UDMF’s support to form a new government yet and if they did the Madhesi forces would seek to know from them how they wanted to address the UDMF’s demands.

“We have taken the seven-point agreement signed by the NC and the CPN-MC positively for it has put Madhes issues on the top but that alone is not enough.

There were many agreements signed in the past but they were not honoured,” Mahato said and added that he wanted the NC and the CPN-MC to table a proposal to amend the constitution.

“If the NC and the CPN-MC move a proposal to amend the constitution, the UML will also support it. If it does not support it, it will lose its influence in Madhes,” Mahato said in response to a journalist’s query.

Responding to a journalist’s query, Mahato said there should be two provinces in Madhes with hill areas of the Tarai districts remaining in the hill provinces and the Tarai areas of the Tarai districts remaining in Madhes provinces.

He said if the new government too did not do enough to solve Madhes problems, the UDMF would be forced to resort to movement.

Mahato said he had no personal grudges against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and when he opposed Oli, it was because of his anti-Madhes policies. “Madhesis resorted to movement to gain their rightful share in the constitution but Prime Minister Oli, never recognised that it was citizens’ movement,” Mahato said.

The SP leader added that the report of the UDMF trying to prevent the NC and the UML from offering a ministerial berth to Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic Chair Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar was not true.