Kathmandu, November 25

The Unified CPN-Maoist Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal met Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today and dwelt on demands of the agitating Madhesi parties with him.

The move comes a day after Dahal held informal talks with the top leaders of the United Democratic Madhesi Front, which has been agitating in Madhes for more than three months and blockading border entry points.

UCPN-M negotiator Narayan Kaji Shrestha said although the three major parties – the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the UCPN-M had not formed a common position on the demands put forth by the Madhesi parties yet, his party would continue to make efforts to help the major parties arrive at a common stance on the demands of the agitating forces.

Shrestha said the NC and the UML were not in favour of settling the boundary issues immediately. According to him, the NC and the UML wanted to give the responsibility of settling the boundary issues to a political mechanism which would prepare a proposal in a month. He added that the Madhesi parties were not ready to accept any such proposal.

A source said Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is also the chairperson of the ruling CPN-UML, told UCPN-M that the issue of provincial boundaries could not be dealt immediately. Shrestha said his party would continue to offer options to address the boundary concerns of the agitating Madhesi parties.

The UCPN-M negotiator said one solution could be to put areas from Nawalparasi up to eastern part of Kaiali in Tarai Pradesh immediately and let a political mechanism settle the dispute over other Tarai districts in the eastern part later.

Meanwhile, NC held its office bearers’ meeting today that was attended by some senior leaders as well and dwelt on the demands of the Madhesi parties. NC spokesperson Dilendra Prasad Badu said his party was surprised that the government was not moving the Constitution Amendment Bill ahead.

This bill was registered at the Parliament by Sushil Koirala-led government but the UDMF says the passage of this bill would not solve the current problems.

Badu said proportional inclusion and delineation of the election constituencies on the basis of population were the major concerns of the agitating parties and all the major parties had agreed to amend the constitution to address the Madhesis’ concerns but the government was not moving the bill ahead.

He said the UDMF’s demand of package deal could be difficult to meet at the moment.

Badu said NC lawmakers would not obstruct the House proceedings tomorrow but they would put across NC’s views in the Parliament.

Badu said the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill would pave the way for negotiation on the boundary issues. UDMF has made it clear that it will not withdraw the agitation till the boundary issue was resolved.